Archive for November, 2007
Videos on YouTube
Hello! Over the past month I have been experimenting with the video feature on my camera to add to the depth of the journals. If you’re interested in watching any of these videos (be warned, the quality is not the best!), you can go to youtube.com and search for Kiva Peru. I believe at the moment there are twelve of them, and I will be adding more in the next few weeks! Each video has an accompanying journal on Kiva’s Journal page, or you can search by the entrepreneur’s name on the Lend page. Enjoy!
1 comment 29 November 2007
Watching Kiva Funds in Action!
I’ve been in Kenya for a couple of weeks now and have seen such diversity in not only the people, plants, and animals but also in standard of living, quality of life, and income levels. Like anywhere in the world some people live expensive, lavish lifestyles while others work hard with little to show for it at the end of the day. In Kenya, the latter is definitely the most prominent. But last week as a Kiva Fellow at Action Now: Kenya(ANK) in Nairobi, I saw the beauty and success of microfinance that I had hoped for but was skeptical about as I embarked on this adventure (in terms of the realities of economic opportunities in the developing world). In addition, I got to see the effects of Kiva first hand, and as an avid microfinance supporter, and as a Kiva lender myself, I was more than pleasantly surprised.
ANK’s lending model differs from what we traditionally think of when we think about microfinance. ANK uses micro-leasing as a means of uplifting people from poor economic conditions. Through micro-leasing, clients are provided with tangible goods as an in-kind loan, instead of cash, that can be used to start, expand, or enhance their business and improve their income, and ultimately the quality of life for them and their families. The clients are then responsible for paying back the cost of the items in the same manner, with the same terms, as a traditional cash loan. When in desperate situations, a cash loan is sometimes used to satisfy needs completely unrelated to the client’s business. This not only increases the client’s debt burden, it also leaves them without the advantage of additional investment capital to enhance their business – causing a downward-spiraling effect on their economic well-being. Micro-leasing bypasses this issue. You can’t feed a hungry child with a sewing machine. But you can use that sewing machine to earn income to feed that child.
So, last week I accompanied the loan officer/community mobilizer/superwoman who does just about anything that needs to be done, to the bank to meet with Jeremiah, a Kiva client. It was here that I could see Kiva funds actually working the way I, as a Kiva lender myself, envisioned it. The money that was raised for Jeremiah was deposited into ANK’s bank account and there I was, in a land far, far away from where the funds most likely came from, withdrawing it. It was almost as if there was this outstretched arm coming directly from the developed world with cash in hand, connecting with us here in Kenya!
We withdrew half of the exact amount of Jeremiah’s loan and headed for the Gikomba market to purchase the goods he needed for his shop. The other half will be used to make purchases in the near future. ANK’s procedure is for the loan officer to accompany the client to the shop and to get a receipt for the full amount of the purchases as evidence of the disbursement of the loan. The first shop we went to buy Jeremiah’s goods did not have any receipts available. This was not sufficient for the ANK officer due to the lack of accountability and transparency that could transpire, as well as the potential for inadvertently taking part in unethical trading. So we found another shop, one which was willing to provide a receipt, where Jeremiah could purchase his goods using the Kiva funds. In this small gesture, ANK exhibited its integrity and dedication to best practices.
While we were in the shop, the employee who was serving us was curious about this type of loan and where the money came from. She expressed that she had wanted to open a small business of her own but didn’t know where she would be able to get the capital to start-up. We told her about ANK and about Kiva and she was really excited about the idea. In the short time I’ve been here, I’ve learned that the majority of ANK’s clients hear about their micro-leasing program through word-of-mouth. They see a friend doing well in business, ask them how they did it, and come into ANK’s office to apply for a loan. Viral marketing has shown to be an effective tool for creating awareness of ANK’s products/services. To me, any product customers take upon themselves to promote, must be a great product. And in the case of microfinance, it’s not just the product they are promoting, they are promoting being proactive in uplifting oneself from poverty. Now there’s a product I can feel good about!
Add comment 26 November 2007
Arrival in Uganda
My name is Drew Kinder. I am a Kiva Fellow from Buffalo, NY assigned to Share an Opportunity (SAO), a Micro-Finance Institution (MFI) headquartered in Kampala, Uganda.
Although my future postings will be about the borrowers I meet in Uganda, this first blog answers the question of how I ended up in Uganda volunteering for three months as a Kiva Fellow.
I discovered Kiva in March 2007 after reading a column in the New York Times written by Nicholas Kristof. I was captivated by the Kiva website and the ease of loaning $25 to entrepreneurs around the world. This struck me as an elegant way to participate in the lives of the “poorest of the poor”, as a business transaction rather than a gift. The fact that I received no interest on my $25 loan was immaterial. The important thing was being repaid. To date, my Kiva loan portfolio contains over 25 loans, including 3 loans that have been repaid and then re-loaned.
One fateful day I discovered the Kiva Fellows program while navigating around the website.
The program made business sense to me. Kiva relies on its MFI customers around the world to find borrowers, tell their stories, disburse the funds, and collect repayment of the loans when due. Based on my experience in wholesale sales and distribution, I knew that customer relationships like this work best when you travel to the customer’s place of business.
My business in Buffalo is an internet-based, seasonal, small business, with 98% of sales occurring from March through October. Although I would prefer year-round sales, the benefit of seasonality on the web is the freedom to close your doors when customers are not buying and do something else.
The timing of the Kiva Fellowship was ideal for me. Kiva requires a minimum commitment of ten weeks, which fits neatly into my business schedule.
When I applied for the volunteer fellowship, I couldn’t help but wonder how the application of a seasoned entrepreneur would be received by an organization founded and staffed by bright young people. I was pleased to be accepted. One thing led to another, and I celebrated Thanksgiving on a plane bound for Uganda.
One of my daughters, who has volunteered in an orphanage in Chile and a tribal village in India, administered earthquake relief in Pakistan, and interned with the Minister of Finance of Liberia, gave me the following advice; “Dad, if you’re not wracked with self-doubt on the plane ride over there, you haven’t challenged yourself enough.” By her standard, I am fully challenged!
I have never been a banker, I’ve never been to Uganda, I speak only English, and I have not been away from my family this long since my wife and I married thirty years ago. Despite these limitations, and more, I fully intend to have a positive impact on Kiva’s mission in Uganda. If I lose sight of why I am here, all I have to do is read the words on my ball cap; “Kiva.org… loans that change lives”
Cheers,
Drew Kinder
14 comments 26 November 2007
Inspired in Tanzania
Greetings from Dana in Dar es Salaam, where I have been placed with Tujijenge Tanzania! In this past month, it’s been exciting to see the initial partnership form between Tujijenge Tanzania and Kiva, as they work together to provide loans to their clients. My officemates get so excited when they see all the different profiles on the Kiva website of people from all over the world who have become lenders to their clients. My translator/partner and I have now completed over 30 interviews of entrepreneurs, 26 of which have already been posted online and their loans completely raised. It’s truly amazing how fast people respond on the Kiva website– loan amounts being raised in hours, even minutes. I am currently fascinated by the Kiva model– how individuals around the world are brought together online– and wonder if it could be expanded to serve other areas of need besides microfinance.
A week ago Saturday, I visited an oncology hospital with the women from my church community group, which has been meeting weekly for Bible study. I found the hospital, which is located next to the president’s palace, to be a place of little hope. Because it is a referral center where patients come from all over the country when rejected by local hospitals (which don’t have the means to treat or often even diagnose the cancer), the patients come during the last stages of their life. By the time they reach this hospital, their cancer has generally spread all over the body and is irrevocable.
During our 2 hour visit, I spent my time in the children’s ward where 20 beds were lined single file against the two walls. I tried talking to the kids and their mothers with my limited Swahili as I sat with them on their beds (single beds that are each shared by two patients and their two mothers every night). Many of the children had lost an eye (left uncovered) due to lymphoma and had other such cancer treatment remnants. The ones with any energy left in their bodies enjoyed our small gift of a pencil and notebook. I took turns drawing pictures with a girl named Vicky, around 9-years-old. They were all so precious.
In my opinion, the hospital lacks the equipment and resources it should have primarily due to financial priorities. With so much need in Tanzania, this hospital is left with not enough beds, medicine, and basic machinery– although it is the primary oncology hospital in the country! The machine that checks electrolytes has been broken for 2 years and has yet to be repaired, which would cost about 2 million shillings (about $1,800). The machine that should work to position people properly for radiotherapy has yet to be bought, thus leaving the patients with unnecessary side effects such as intestinal and bone marrow decay. The situation is that at this hospital, even if more clients were to receive proper treatment and prolong their lives even by a few extra months or weeks, there would be no room for them anyway. Since the clients are literally on their deathbed, who can blame anyone for the prevailing attitude that money could be spent better elsewhere.
I left the hospital depressed, but also inspired. There are people out there who care about injustice and often don’t know how to tangibly help. Maybe in the future, the Kiva model– through the use of the internet– will prove to bring more awareness of ways they/we can get involved with issues that may feel so distant.
6 comments 26 November 2007
Noel
Since arriving in Santo Domingo last month, I’ve been immersed in an array of sights and sounds, faces and families, handshakes and hugs, cooking and cadence, and countless other alliterative elements of Dominican culture. It’s been a whirlwind so far, and for about a three-minute moment everyday – the most time I ever seem to have to reflect – I can’t help but think that my familiar life in the states is being lived by some alternate version of me, and that eventually, he’ll bring me up to speed on the events of the last few months and I’ll tell him he missed out on the chance to bring all of his ideas and ideals out of the ivory tower and into the world. Maybe we’ll have a beer or play bocce ball. Who knows? Clearly, I digress.
Of all the incredible and wonderful facets of Dominican culture that I have had the chance to take in so far, one that I am reminded of everyday really stands out…. everyone starts decorating for Christmas very early here. Like really early. Like right around Halloween early.
It was a horrifying coincidence when Tropical Storm Noel made landfall during the first week of November, just as the first Christmas trees and candy canes were visible in shop windows. Noel came with virtually no advanced notice, and even if their had been a better warning I’m note sure what measures could have been taken. Granted, Noel pales in comparison with what has happened since in Bangladesh. But the victims here would take issue, just as they should, with anyone who told them that their loss is somewhere near the bottom on a phantom list of priorities that the world’s aid agencies have to look at.
I have not been able to speak with members of the affected communities first-hand, largely because Fundacion San Miguel Arcángel has asked me to work mostly in other communities. But I have seen some of the damage while traveling near the Manoguayabo River in Santo Domingo near San Cristobal. The river swelled twenty feet over its average height and literally swallowed the earth beneath thousands of people’s homes. Debris from homes remains scattered across the riverbanks, and where many people had lived on an incline that gradually rolled down to the water’s edge, half their homes are now precariously suspended off a cliff – a complete vertical drop, twenty-five feet above the river.
In some of these communities, school has only restarted this past week. The recovery of physical debris and the job of rebuilding homes and businesses are daunting tasks unto themselves. Confronting the sickness and disease afflicting many of those who have already lost so much is likely to be even more challenging. Local food stocks were rendered mostly unusable, water supplies are barely potable, and all kinds of pests and pathogens fill what remains of homes. Anecdotally, some of FSMA’s clients have been falling very ill. All of FSMA’s clients are women and most are mothers, as well.
With a presidential election just over six months away here, the incumbent’s government has recently revised the latest measurements of Dominican GDP, announcing a rise in the country’s income per capita. I don’t plan on using this space to casually opine on a political situation about which I am almost entirely ignorant, but that announcement struck me as one with potentially serious consequences for Noel victims awaiting international support. The president asked multilateral development agencies for aid after the storm, but many of these agencies have strict GDP per capita limits they adhere to when making aid decisions. It remains to be seen what effect, if any, the announced rise in income will have on the flow of aid. Also, the government has promised the construction of public housing in the most devastated areas. While a good long-term idea, that does not sound like a solution to the immediate issues facing those communities. In both cases, we’ll see.
These photos were taken by the FSMA staff, they show some of the damage near “Control de La Pared de Haina” and “Palavé” on the Manoguayabo River.
FSMA is a relatively new Kiva partner and from what I know right now, none of those people who suffered devastating blows to their families and livelihoods, including death and complete loss of home, are Kiva clients…yet. Now seems like a good opportunity to diversify Kiva’s client list within FSMA to include more of the areas affected by the storm. I hope to be meeting these women soon, and giving Kiva lenders the opportunity to help them restart their businesses.
2 comments 25 November 2007
From Vietnam 3
Working with Mekong Plus in Vietnam has allowed me to observe some of the many different ways one can help the poor. Aside of visiting Kiva borrowers, I also got a chance to observe other projects that Mekong Plus implements as part of its holistic approach towards attacking poverty.
Mekong Plus an extremely wide range of activities. One of the most successful and popular programs is its quilt shop, Vietnam Quilts. The project employs over a hundred poor women in the areas of Duc Linh and Long My. The women are taught to sew quilts and souvenirs that are then sent to Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi to be sold. The project has been very successful and self-sustaining. The revenues generated are poured back into the program, and the women receive a monthly salary. The impact is tremendous because it allows the women to stay close to home and work instead of leaving their children for several days at a time to find work in far away areas. Also, it empowers the women by providing handicraft skills and financial freedom. I had a chance to visit all of the small shops where the quilts and souvenirs are made and the quilt store in Ho Chi Minh City.
One of Mekong Plus’s most important programs to providing a long-term solution to poverty is its scholarship project. Mekong Plus provides hundreds of scholarships to poor students. Education in Vietnam is not free or mandated. Families must pay a yearly tuition if they want their children to receive an education. Also, they are responsible for buying the school uniforms and school supplies. For many poor families, the fee is too high. Many children of the families I visited do not complete the 8th grade. Without an education, they have very little hope of breaking free of poverty. I went with a loan officer one day in order to film and document the event, and I also ended up handing out scholarships. The parents of the students were also there, applauding as their sons’ and daughters’ names were called out. The parents have sacrificed a lot as well to keep their children in school. Not only do they lose on potential income their children could earn by working, but they must also save up to buy the uniforms and school supplies. The scholarships provided by Mekong Plus cover the school fees. The parents would not send their children to school though if they didn’t think it was worth the investment. Talking to the families afterwards, it is clear to me that the families realize how important education is to providing a better life for their children.
In addition to educating poor children, Mekong Plus provides health education to women. I visited two separate classes, one about female hygiene and diseases and another about proper infant care. Many families, especially in the rural areas of Vietnam, have very little exposure to properly caring for themselves or their children. They rely on advice from their friends, family, and even Vietnamese myths. Doctor visits are expensive and health insurance in Vietnam is inadequate. The class on proper infant care was very engaging and successful. The women learned about the human respiratory system. In small groups, they drew and labeled the different parts of the respiratory system. They were given different scenarios and symptoms and were asked to identify the illness. The Mekong Plus staff also taught the women how to properly care for an ill infant. Afterwards, the women were quizzed on what they learned. The class does not end there though. The women must then teach a class on the same topic in the future, and the Mekong staff will supervise them and provide support.
The class on female hygiene was a much more difficult class because the topic is still taboo in Vietnam, especially in the rural areas. The women were less willing to participate. I learned that over 40% of the women in Vietnam however suffer from various diseases, including STDs and breast cancer. The class aimed to provide correct information to the women so that they would be able to self-diagnose themselves and prevent infection. The Mekong Plus staff covered symptoms of various STDs and how to self-check for breast cancer. The staff member also taught the women how to maintain proper hygiene, such as where they should hang their underwear to dry. Cultural attitudes in Vietnam are still tremendous hindrances to sex and health education. I doubt anyone knows when Vietnam will be more open to the subject, but in the mean time, I think it’s wonderful that Mekong Plus has taken it upon themselves to provide proper information to the rural women. Through my interviews, I find that one of the biggest reasons a family ends up in poverty is due to illness. Families must take out huge loans and sell their land and assets in order to pay for doctor visits, hospital bills, and medication. Being able to prevent illness or detect it early may go a long way towards ending poverty.
I only highlighted three of Mekong Plus’s other programs aside from microfinance, but I would like to mention there other projects really quickly. In the Mekong Delta area, Mekong Plus helps build roads and bridges. They have an incense program that provides jobs and income to dozens of poor individuals. The incense is made by the poor and sent to France as part of a Fair Trade agreement. In addition to providing hygiene education to women, Mekong Plus sends toothbrushes, toothpaste, fluoride, and workbooks to schools so that children can learn and practice proper dental hygiene. Mekong Plus trains local citizens to become veterinarians so that the poor farmers can help one anther instead of Mekong Plus having to constantly provide veterinary services. Mekong Plus also has a theatre group that writes plays and puts on performances in the community. The theatre shows are used to educate the community about issues such as alcohol, drugs, HIV, and domestic violence. The list of activities that Mekong Plus is involved goes on. I have been very fortunate to visit many of its other programs, and it has taught me a great deal about how poverty is not simply an economic issue. It is also an issue of health, culture, politics, etc.
2 comments 23 November 2007
Mozambique!
First, I want to apologize for not blogging earlier! I’ve had some problems with my account, but now that I’m able to write, I have absolutely no idea where to begin… It’s hard to believe that I’ve been here for about two months already and only have one more to go. To quickly introduce myself, my name is Charline Yim and I’m currently a Kiva Fellow in Mozambique, working for Kiva´s partner microfinance institution Fundo de Desenvolvimento da Muhler (FDM). I don’t know how exactly to explain what an incredible, crazy experience this has been, but I’ll try my best.
I´ve been lucky enough to spend time now in all three of FDM´s branches, and what strikes me most is how different they are. First, just the locations… While Xai-Xai, the location of FDM´s headquarters, is a small, busy market town where I passed weekends lazily watching soccer games and drinking endless cups of coffee at one of the cities two restaurants with locals to pass the time, Maxixe was an idyllic tourist destination with the lure of picturesque beaches and scuba diving. And now I’m here in the capital Maputo – a large, crowded, polluted city (like any other large city in the world) where I’ve spent a considerable amount of time thus far mainly trying not to get lost. Each FDM office is surprisingly different as well and it’s funny how they mirror their respective locations, but the complete dedication, level of hard work, efficiency, and passion has been the same in all. I’ve had a chance now to work with all 16 of FDM´s loan officers, or promotoras as they call them here, and while each have their own distinct styles and ways of dealing with their clients, each has amazed me with their dedication to the people they serve. We spend literally hours a day walking miles and miles to reach each client, and as I’m sweating to keep up I tend to ask them what they think the hardest part of their job is – they never fail to say the same thing. Yes, they explain, the job is difficult at times, but you get use to it and it’s worth it because they love what they do. They have been nothing but gracious, kind, and truly wonderful to me, and I know that at the end of this entire experience, they are some of the people who I will miss most.
And the clients I’ve met! They welcome me into their homes, introduce me to their children, proudly show me their businesses, and offer me meals without a second thought. While I admit that there have been times when I’ve wondered if it is worth a four hour chapa ride holding someone’s flapping chicken on my lap to reach a single client (and another four hour ride back), finally meeting them and enjoying a moment to sit down with them and talk has always proved worth it. While I have many questions for them, they have just as many for me – ranging from asking what it’s like in the United States (is it like what they see on TV?) to inquiring if I’ve ever seen a mango before. Interestingly, and somewhat strangely, when I tell them I’m from California, I get lots of questions about Arnold Schwarzenegger… The weather here tends to fluctuate between blistering heat, overwhelming humidity, and drenching downpours of rain, and walking in any of these extremes can be challenging at times, but the clients and their families really make it worth it. Not to mention that I’m also put to shame by the children and older women who easily skipping past me carrying buckets of water on their heads as I trudge along. At one client’s business and home, I was invited by her young son and his friends to play a little soccer match with them (at which point I made a complete fool of myself as I, to be frank, am horrible at soccer), but at least he and his friends (and his family…and the loan officer…and the neighbors who stopped to watch) had a good laugh.
There are little reminders of home everywhere. When I have access to a TV, there’s this show on one of the two channels here called Fama Show, the Mozambican version of American Idol which is always being replayed. Their annual beauty pageant here is called Miss KFC. Yes, as in Kentucky Fried Chicken. While one client and I were for some reason (I forget how we reached the topic) discussing our mutual love of coffee, I asked her if she knew what Starbucks was but she refreshingly said no.
While I admit that time here initially felt a bit slow, now with only one month left…I wonder where it went. Like Maren mentions in her blog, my thoughts and experiences here have reached two extremes – from wondering what exactly I’m doing here to moments of complete exhilaration. I definitely won’t miss the public transportation system here as it often entails idling at a stop for two hours to get more passengers (which range from actual people to bags of fertilizer and goats). I’ve also probably spent more time in chicken coops than completely necessary…not to mention that am currently modeling the dirty sneakers, knee socks, unwashed hair, hybrid fanny pack-messenger bag look, but at the same time I can’t help but already feel a bit sad about everything else I’ll leave behind. I know my only regret when I leave will have been that I couldn’t spend more time here, and I plan on savoring every last minute that I have here in Mozambique and working with FDM. Well, that’s it for now. Ate logo!
Add comment 23 November 2007
From Vietnam 2
One of the most memorable visits I had occurred while I was doing interviews in Duc Linh, Binh Thuan province. I visited a small house made of dirt walls and a dirt floor. The walls were crumbling and had holes in them. The family used some plastic to cover up the hole so rain would not get into the house. Sometimes, the plastic is not all that successful. The mother of the house is Pham Thi Xi. She is 38 and married to Nguyen Van Tam. The interview began fairly typically. I asked her about her day and explained to her who I am. I noticed a TV in the corner of the room and asked her if she just bought it. In Vietnam, it seems that no matter how poor, everyone owns a television and karaoke machine. I am always wondering, with all the needs of the family, why purchase a television. Xi responded to my question with a huge smile on her face. She had saved up money from her improved earnings to buy the television. She turned and spoke to the loan officer Chi Phu and said, “It’s thanks to you.” She then couldn’t hold back her tears as she told Chi Phu a story of how the other day her sons were scolded by another family. Her sons went to another family’s home to watch TV, and they were told to leave because their feet and clothes were dirty. Xi said she didn’t want her sons to feel ashamed about being poor, so with the money she earned, she bought them a TV. To her, and probably many other families, having a TV relieves them of the constant reminder that they are poor. It also may symbolize the progress that they have made through their hard work. I am extremely glad that Xi shared that story. While I probably cannot fully understand their struggles, the stories of the borrowers give me a better perspective on the definition of poverty.
1 comment 19 November 2007
Dusty Face and Sore Cheeks
A typical day at work – Darin and I arrive at Maxima’s office and collect our print-outs for the microloan clients we’ll be visiting today, hop on the back of a moto with our loan officer/driver/translator and away we go! After having spent almost a year traveling in Southeast Asia, weaving our way through traffic like one in a school of fish feels natural. The busy Highway 6 leading North of Phnom Penh is dusty and clogged with traffic. Large trucks and buses blare their horns in a “Get out of way way!” message to the other vehicles, which are mostly motos, as they blaze past with minimal room to spare. We arrive at a ferry crossing and stop, waiting with the line of loaded-down motos carrying bags of goods back to the island until the next boat arrives. Fortunately, it’s not long, and we’re soon on our way to Koh Dach, the largest of three Mekong islands, and home to a large community of silk weavers. (Photo: Ferry Crossing) 
Koh Dach is a quiet, tree-shaded, elongated spit of land that feels a world away from the bustle of Phnom Penh. It’s the tail end of monsoon season, but there hasn’t been much rain this year so the dirt roads are only marginally muddy and difficult to navigate. Usually, we’re told, it’s necessary to walk, pushing the moto through the reddish muck, which is something these loan officers are forced to do daily to meet their clients. Darin and I split up, aiming in different directions to split our client list for the day. All visits are unscheduled, as many people do not have phones, but I’m hopeful that we’ll find most at home. I strike out on my first stop – the woman has gone into Phnom Penh for the day to buy her raw silk. My accompanying loan officer stops to ask a store owner for directions to our next client as there are no addresses. Luckily, the woman is at home. Eksavy, age 48, has been weaving since she was a teenager and is now teaching her daughter the craft after school hours. She invites us to sit, Khmer-style (barefoot + cross-legged on a woven mat), while we explain why we’re here. We show her her image printed from the internet, and she looks shy and embarrassed. We ask several questions about her life and the impact the loan has had on it, which she answers, smiling broadly the whole time. She smiles so openly that I can’t help but return it in kind. At the end of the interview, she allows me to take photos and there are bows all around as we thank her and take our leave. Our next couple stops are similar, and the people always cheerful and willing to answer personal questions about income and future hopes. The homes we visit are built in the traditional style – very modest (sometimes only one 10′ x 12′ room) and constructed of wood, thatched palm leaves and/or corrugated steel set up high on concrete stilts with an open-air living space underneath. This ground floor space is where most of the days activities take place. Here is the kitchen, the loom or other piece of equipment and the informal living room where guests are received (and afternoon naps are taken). Everything is done in the open and the need for privacy is minimal compared to what we are accustomed to in the west. (Photo: Maxima loan officers and happy clients) 
We break for lunch at one of the loan officer’s homes (many of them come from rural villages that we visit) and meet up with Darin and his loan officer. We’ve both ridden with three different guys so far – all in their twenties with business/finance backgrounds and varying levels of English proficiency. They’ve not only been great at translating our interviews, but have been so helpful in answers cultural questions and teaching us bits of Khmer language too. We’re really learning alot! After lunch, we head to our next client who treats us with fresh coconuts to drink during the interview. This woman, Rany, is also super-friendly and smiles constantly, seemingly tickled by my presence. I return her smiles – my cheeks are hurting now from all this smiling. Our last stop of the day is at the home of a family applying for a new loan, and I wait nearby as they go through the necessary paperwork with the loan officer. Several children are running around – one boy leans against his grandmother and she pats him affectionately; a few boys are playing soccer barefoot; two beautiful, little girls stand shirtless in colorful sarongs, timidly smiling at me; a round-eyed babe is wobbling around pantless, playing with a piece of broken mirror! Such relaxed parenting in a place where you’ve got to be tough to survive, but everyone looks so happy! (Photo: Grandmother + Grandson) 
We arrive back at the office, dusty and tired… and my cheeks ache from too much smiling 
I wonder who we’ll meet tomorrow…
Add comment 19 November 2007
Peru
Wow, what to say…
I’ve been in Peru now about a month and a half and have had a collection of experiences reflecting every aspect between the poles of ‘what am I doing here?!’ and ‘awe-inspiring beauty’… here are some thoughts I’ve gathered along the way…
Sitting in the idle combi, waiting for it to fill so we can get a move on to Lampa. Been here for about 15 minutes and so far no new passengers; I’m guessing we need at least 4 more until they’ll consider it worth the trip. The señora sits on the street corner, nursing her small child, calling out ‘A Lampa Lampa Lampa’, and at this point I feel compelled to join her in the recruit, growing quickly impatient of the Peruvian methods of transport. I’m tempted to jump out of the overcrowded combi and take a slightly more expensive taxi, but I don’t want to insult my drivers, and the community of fellow travelers gives me a small security the lone ride in the taxi cannot.
It’s Saturday in Juliaca, and I’m taking the day to do some sight seeing after an amazing week of meeting with inspiring entrepreneurs. My face has started to peel from the massive sunburn the Puno region has given me; I had become accustomed to the overcast skies of seaside Lima, and was quickly and oh-so-painfully reminded of the damage a day without sunscreen near the equator can do… however, I’d gladly take the sunburn over the altitude sickness that has greeted me ever so kindly daily at 14,000 feet. My ears are ringing from the constant honking of Juliaca’s motos and taxis; the honking that serves Juliaca as stoplights serve other cities- a good hard honk simply means ‘green light for me, red for you- so hit the breaks or get out of the way!’.
However lacking in simple comforts Juliaca has been, the culture here by far makes up for it, and I’m slow in wanting to leave this place…
I’ve spent the week meeting with men and women who have made me rethink my definition of happiness, necessity, generosity, and love. Over and over again I’m reminded of the story of the poor woman who gave two coins to an offering, while the rich around her were putting in great amounts of money- yet she had put in so much more because while the rich had given out of wealth, she, in her poverty, had given everything she had. I have been welcomed into the homes and for a short time the lives of these people, who have shared their stories and hearts, and then have so willingly insisted on sharing their gifts. Whether it be a block of cheese, freshly painted ceramic figurines, breakfast, dinner, her favorite and best pair of earrings, a medicinal fruit said to cure everything up to cancer, or the honor of naming the newborn calf and being appointed his godmother… I have been truly touched by the endless generosity and ability to give so much out of seemingly so little. It would do the world some good to learn from the lives of the so-called impoverished, and possibly make us take a look at our definition of poverty; it might change the map of who the ‘developing world’ really is…
7 comments 19 November 2007
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