Wow. This was an idea that blended the tenets of both liberals (we have a responsibility as a society to help poor people) and conservatives (don’t give help away, give people the chance to prove themselves on the free market). And Grameen micro-loans have a 99-percent repayal rate. Here is a real solution for world poverty and economics. So I chose a worthy business owner, a goat farmer in Tajikistan, lent my $25 and saw it come back in less than a month. I lent it out again. I put more cash into my Kiva account. I became a champion of microfinance and I ask for it as a present from now on in lieu of more swag.
Some friends have asked why I don’t invest in the U.S., however. It may feel nice as a comfy white dude living the dream in Colorado to give less than the cost of a lift ticket to African weavers, but what about people here at home? Well, these holidays, I’ll be asking for a donation to my Kiva account to fund a Kiva New Orleans loan, for people right here in the U.S. trying to start projects that range from education to solar energy.
I hope you will do the same. You can make a loan, or buy one as a gift, to small business people at Kiva New Orleans HERE.
