الطريق مفتوح؟ Is the way clear? This was the sentiment voiced by my Palestinian colleagues at Al-Ibdaa and Palestine for Credit & Development (FATEN) before we set off for the field. Under the complicated governance structures dictated by the Oslo Accords, the West Bank has been carved into Area A, Area B and Area C. Area A falls under the holistic jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority, ...
Continue Reading >>Kerry Frank is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University with a BA in International Studies and a concentration in Middle Eastern Studies. In 2011, she enrolled as a study abroad student at the American University of Beirut, an experience that exposed her to the nuances of the region especially as peoples and governments alike navigated the Arab Spring. Subsequent to her graduation, she returned to Cairo to refine her capacities in Arabic through structured studies at a number of Institutes.
In 2014, she joined HIP Consult and, its sister company, Mondato. Her projects spanned telecommunications infrastructure, economics, emerging finance and digitization - all centered around developing markets. As the Media Editor of Mondato, her contributions touched upon cryptocurrencies, financial inclusion, fintech, identity and regulation, in addition to trends within the digital finance ecosystem more generally. She is now excited to represent Kiva as a Fellow, and further build upon her background in consulting and media. A Kiva Fellowship is an unrivaled opportunity to gain first hand-knowledge in the day-to-day challenges and operations of microfinance institutions, which are the front-lines in materializing financial inclusion oriented policy.
Fellows Blog Posts by Kerry Frank
Tucked into Jordan’s greater Ajloun Governorate lies Sakhra, a small village with 1 main street functioning as the town's arterial gateway to side-streets dotted with 2 and 3 story houses. It is here that Specific Union for Farmer Women assumes its modest headquarters: 2 offices, a communal space, a kitchen and a bathroom. And while the space may be prudent, it possesses an uncharacteristically...
Continue Reading >>On June 20, 2016, Kiva launched the World Refugee Fund, which matches donations to refugees on World Refugee Day dollar-for-dollar. Traditional forms of finance are often out of reach for refugees, and as such supporting loans for this population is vital. Even so, a host of logistical, regulatory and psychological factors stand in the way of banks and small-scale institutions attempting to accommodate refugees with appropriate financial products. In Jordan, Microfund for Women (MFW) has...
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