Monthly Archives: May 2013

My mother can be kind of difficult to buy gifts for. Not because she’s fussy but because she has everything she needs and doesn’t particularly value material things.

But I few years ago I sort of stumbled on a gift that she loved and that still engages her all this time later. I made a $100 donation in her name to Kiva, a non-profit that facilitates micro-loans from regular people to entrepreneurs around the world. Kiva has found that by loaning individuals as little as $25, they can start a business that will lift themselves and their families out of poverty. Think about that– $25 can lift people out of poverty. Mind blowing.

But the interesting thing about Kiva is that theses are loans. The recipients are required to pay the money back and they do: Kiva’s repayment rate is 98.99%, higher than almost any bank in the world. Kiva is offering a hand up, not hand outs.

The coolest thing about Kiva is that the lender gets to pick the projects that they fund, using any kind of criteria that they want. So, if you are most interested in funding woman-owned agricultural businesses, you can do that. And each potential borrowers profile includes information about themselves and their business, a snapshot of the economy in their country, and information about the field partner who will be administering the loan. You can also see the repayment schedule and when the payments are received. There is complete and utter transparency at every step of the process.

My original gift to my mama was a $100 Kiva credit. Kiva minimizes risk to any single lender by capping each loan at $25. Mama has used that $100 to make a total of 15 loans totaling $375.  She has loaned money to people in 11 countries including the Ukraine, Uganda, Peru and Tajikistan. My mom says she originally looked for businesses that were textile and sheep related but now she funds all kinds of projects.

My mama has really enjoyed administering her Kiva account and she takes great pride in watching the individuals she funds succeed. She’s always telling me about her latest loans and how so-and-so repaid her loan ahead of schedule.

If you are stumped for a Mother’s Day gift (or a gift for any other day) please consider making the gift of a Kiva card. They are doing so really incredible things and you can be a part of it.

EDITED TO ADD: If you buy your gift card using one of these this link or this one, Kiva will match your donation up to $25 for more loans!