Archive for August, 2009
Liberian Highway Exorcism
I was in a 3-hour bush taxi (8 people crammed into a Hyundai) from Monrovia to Gbarnga, Charles Taylor’s former stronghold, when we hit a traffic roadblock. Curious to know what could cause a complete stoppage of traffic, I walked to the front of the line of cars to find a group of people doing an exorcism of the evil spirits that have caused so many accidents at this exact spot. It was fascinating to watch, mainly because of the apparent fusion of Christianity, Islam, and “local vodoo” (for lack of a better descriptor). Here’s a quick glimpse of the full event that lasted for over an hour. Make sure your volume is up to hear the inclusion of all the higher powers…
The Other Side of Women for Women (Bosnia), a partner MFI of Kiva.org
As time goes by in my work as a Kiva Fellow, I realize more and more how important the social mission of an MFI is. At my first placement, I was greatly impressed by Kiva’s partner in Bosnia and Herzegovina. I would like to share the story of this institution. Through Kiva, the relationship and the space for the borrower’s voice is not established solely because of technology, but because of the real person-to-person communication that an MFI has with its clients. If the MFI atmosphere and staff are personable and human, the clients truly feel that they are not just borrowing money from a bank. This is where the borrower really has a space. This is where real healing and real help happen.
“War is not a computer-generated missile striking a digital map. War is the color of earth as it explodes in our faces, the sound of child pleading, the smell of smoke and fear. Women survivors of war are not the single image portrayed on the television screen, but the glue that holds families and countries together. Perhaps by understanding women, and the other side of war…we will have more humility in our discussions of wars…perhaps it is time to listen to women’s side of history.”
—Zainab Salbi, President and CEO of Women for Women International
When I found out that Zainab Salbi was coming to Sarajevo and the regional managers of Zene za Zene were attending her talk, I decided to go on the 3-hour-long ride to the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina in hopes to find an inspiration. Zainab’s talk proved to be eye-opening.
With a sensitivity and apparent interest in every person present, she talked about her story and what motivates her and asked each individual in the room, mostly women, to tell the others something about herself. The energy that ran through the colleagues as they stood up, in addition to their slight nervousness, was impressive.
The Bosnian branch of Women for Women International (WfWI) is the first one and the stepping stone of the larger organization. On June 12, 1993, with only 30 women, WfWI started because of war-time rape camps in BiH. Now the organization serves 53,000 women annually (including microcredit) and has served 207,000 women directly while mobilizing 250,000 women in 101 countries. This half a million is comprised of both people who donate and the ones who need help. All of these women are asking for justice.
Zene za Zene has sister offices in Afghanistan, Congo, Iraq, Kosovo, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Sudan; all branches zealously follow the mission of WfWI. What distinguishes WfWI is that the organization stresses the holistic approach needed to help struggling women. Microcredit is far from the only solution to the difficulties of every woman in the world. In addition to financing entrepreneurs, WfWI educates women about their rights and connects them to the public and private sectors to give them an opportunity to gain politically important roles. Through organic farming programs and job placements, WfWI addresses the non-entrepreneurial women who need assistance. In job placements for their program participants, WfWI defends the need for rights awareness, fair wages, and fair labor practices. “Placing women in jobs is not unique, but placing women who know their rights and can mobilize is,” says Zainab. Through the programs of WfWI, participants acquire skills, create friendships, raise their self-confidence, and familiarize themselves with their rights. The combination of financial support, a community, and access to knowledge and resources brings a lasting change in these women’s lives.
If you feel inspired to support the mission of Women for Women International, please visitwww.womenforwomen.org. In 2009, due to the economic changes in the world, donations have dropped by 10% and WfWI has had to cut $3 million of spending and 17% of their staff. Even when sponsors ‘drop out,’ the organization cannot suddenly stop financing the women in need. Now is the most important time to donate for this cause and make sure that no branches have to be closed, so that Women for Women International can keep uplifting as women all over the world.
If donating is not a good alternative to microcredit for you, you could lend to borrowers of the MFI Zene za Zene. Kiva.org partners with microcredit institutions that have a strong social mission and allows you to give a hand to entrepreneurs all over the world. The 90% repayment rate should show you how safe it is to invest in Kiva borrowers.
This post has been written by Velizara Passajova, a Kiva Fellow working for 4 weeks at her second placement in Armenia (withNor Horizon). Check out currently fundraising loans in Eastern Europe and join Kiva Lending Team – Friends of Women for Women International or Armenia.
Recession-proof
By Shereef Zaki, KF9, Perú
As my first week working with EDPYME Alternativa, one of Kiva’s newest partners, draws to a close I can think of only one phrase to describe the world of micro-finance: recession-proof. Having just come out of the economic and political turmoil caused by the so-called, “Great Recession,” in the US, the vitality and celerity of micro-businesses is cast into even greater relief.
I want to begin by introducing you, the Kiva community, to EDPYME Alternativa. Born of an effort in the Peruvian Chamber of Commerce, EDPYME Alternativa is a highly effective and organized MFI whose mission is to improve the living condition of its clients by supporting their entrepreneurial activities, generating employment in the small and micro enterprise sectors, and strengthening the financing for sustainable and profitable businesses in the region.
In addition to issuing financial products like loans EDPYME Alternativa also provides the following services for its clients: bi-yearly medical checkups, agricultural capacitation workshops, technology training workshops, and sales workshops.
And to maintain their presence in the community EA also holds an annual “Chocolatá” where they give out chocolate and presents to the children of their least fortunate clients and clothing to the adults. Additionally, they collect clothing and supplies for clients who are the victims of natural disasters such as the cold snaps, heat waves and earthquakes common to this region.
In the Mercado Modelo, where many Kiva borrowers have setup stands, competition can be fierce but it stokes the fires of their ambition
In spite of having been here only a brief amount of time, EDPYME Alternativa has already demonstrated to me the the recession-resistant nature of microfinance. They lend regardless of crisis and focus on the well being of their clients. This is a world that lacks Best Buy, Wal Mart, Staples and Barnes and Noble. Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan and the other institutions that line that gilded casino known as Wall Street have peripheral influence here. (more…)
Explaining Kiva
By Alison Carlman, KF8, Kenya
“ It’s this place, on the computer… like a bulletin board… where people post stories…”
Explaining Kiva isn’t easy. It wasn’t easy for me to explain Kiva to my Mom, (no offense, Mom) – so imagine me trying to explain Kiva to a Kenyan farmer who’s never touched a computer and never even heard of “the internet.”
As lenders, some of us hope that Kiva borrowers daydream about us in the way that we daydream about them. After all – we feel this connection with people half a world away because we’ve read their story and seen their photo – and we’ve shared a part of ourselves with them – a portion of our income, and perhaps a photo or a peak into our lending philosophy.
But as a Kiva Fellow it was my experience that many times borrowers know very little about their lenders. There are several reasons for this. The first – as I have alluded to – is the sheer difficulty of explaining Kiva to someone who has never heard of the internet, and cannot imagine how someone from Canada could know who they are. There is a steep learning curve along the road to understanding Kiva. (Read Matt Flannery’s blog article about an encounter gone wrong in this regard).
(more…)
Kiva’s Ever stretching Hand
by Grace Nattoolo , Kiva Coordinator at Pearl Microfinance in Uganda
I know and believe so, that many have been wondering about Grace, and her blog postings. Yes, I have taken some months without blogging but good enough, the interesting stories about the clients’ businesses and social lives still appear on the website for you to read and fund if possible.
Once again, I would like to commend all the fans of Kiva for the wonderful job of supporting and in turn spreading the word.
During my previous visits to the women and men in their lending groups at the various branches of Pearl Microfinance, I realized that many borrowers take loans to cater for their children’s school fees and upkeep. Surely everyone would love to see their children and those that they care for have the best of education and when you go deep into this issue, it’s interesting. (more…)
On Buoyancy
by Joel Carlman, KF8
As I enter the final week of my Kiva Fellowship here in Kisumu, Kenya, I find myself thinking about what my time here has taught me. Kenya is so different from any place that I’ve ever been. The smiles are brighter, the hand-shakes longer, and the hospitality warmer than just about anywhere.
I know that I’m doing microfinance, and that Kiva is about borrowing and lending. The terms, the accounts, the figures, and financials are so interesting to me, and that can sometimes seem like what it is all about. During my fellowship, I dove deep into microfinance, and it’s tempting to look at everything through an analytical lens. Even as a student of development, I always want to find the golden thread that leads you from problem to solution through the complicated fabric of global and local issues.
But, even more than borrowing and lending, Kiva is about connecting. It’s hard enough to connect to people of your own background, from your own hometown, and of your own color, tribe, or social status. How can we possibly connect to people so different from us? I don’t know if I can really answer that question, but I am inspired to tell of the ways in which I have connected to this place during my fellowship.
How I Became a Godmother
By Courtney Kemps, KF8 Peru
I thought I’d share this little story because I think it nicely illustrates both the typical and the wildly atypical in my work as a Kiva Fellow. And it also illustrates how these two opposites sometimes intertwine in unusual ways . . . .
In the course of my work with Kiva field partner Manuela Ramos I have spent a lot of my time interviewing Kiva borrowers to provide lenders with updates on their businesses. Each week I attend several communal bank meetings in order to meet the borrowers and set up interviews with them. All of Manuela’s communal banks meet monthly with their loan officers. These meetings, called “Reuniones de Pago,” have several purposes: 1) Review of the bank’s financial situation. The month’s loan payments are verified, borrowers’ passbooks are filled out, and any delinquencies in payments are discussed. 2) Participation in an educational session given by the bank’s loan officer. During the course of my work, these sessions have dealt with how to manage, promote and grow one’s business. 3) Discussion of any other issues and announcements from the loan officer regarding upcoming plans or programming from Manuela.
One afternoon this past week I attended a “Reunión de Pago” for the communal bank “De La Amistad” (Friendship). Arriving early, I had a chance to interview the bank’s president, Teresa, who is a Kiva borrower with a growing juice sales business. Before the meeting began I quietly went around the room, introducing myself to the 3 or 4 other Kiva borrowers in the group and setting up times to interview them.
Many of the original founders of “De La Amistad” are still members and are quite proud of the fact that “De La Amistad” is one of Manuela’s oldest communal banks. The members spent a large part of last week’s meeting planning a celebration for their 11th anniversary, an unusual activity for a communal bank. As they began their discussion, I assumed that such an event would mean going out for lunch or dinner as a group. Not so at all: “De La Amistad’s” 11th anniversary celebration will be an elaborate affair! After an hour’s planning, on the wall hung a piece of poster paper with a numbered schedule of events for the gala, to be held at a nearby event hall. Tickets will be sold. Everyone will dress up and bring her spouse or partner. There will be dinner and dancing. There will be a brief talk about the bank’s history, followed by a speech from a Manuela Ramos representative, followed by a toast. Finally, from among its members, “De La Amistad” will choose a queen for the year.
Near the end of this planning, Teresa called me up to the front of the room. I assumed that she was going to introduce me and explain my purpose to the group as a whole. Usually a loan officer introduces me when I attend meetings, but I figured that Teresa had taken on this task because we had already had a chance to chat. Instead of introducing me, however, Teresa asked me if I would be the godmother of the 11th anniversary celebration! I was rather startled. All I could think was to ask if this was the same as being the queen. “No, no!” the women told me. The godmother provides the cake and becomes the “guest of honor.” I protested that I was heading home next week and, therefore, could not attend the event, which was scheduled for the end of September. No problem, they told me, I could send someone to represent me. Another bank member recounted “De La Amistad’s” long, proud history with Manuela Ramos and their annual tradition of having an anniversary celebration. How could I refuse a roomful of 20 expectant women?
This is how I became a godmother. Not of a person, but of an event that I cannot even attend! On my way out the door, several women smiled, saying “Goodbye, Godmother.”
Courtney Kemps has been serving as a Kiva Fellow with Manuela Ramos in Pucallpa, Peru since the beginning of June. She’s had a great experience meeting many of Manuela’s Kiva borrowers and will be finishing up her Fellowship next week. Learn more about Manuela Ramos’s microfinance program or check out a list of currently fundraising loans for the organization’s borrowers.
Anything but Routine…Microfinance in Nairobi’s slums
By Jaclyn Berfond, KF8 Kenya
After a month of going out, interviewing borrowers every day, life can start to feel rather routine. Yet, all I have to do is look around – really look around at the slums where I have been working – and I know that Faulu’s work here in Nairobi is anything but routine.
Many fellows before me have offered poignant descriptions of slums around the world. Yet, I felt that the impact of the informal settlements (as they are so politically-correctly called) on my perceptions of poverty, economic empowerment and microfinance, as well as the impact on Nairobi and Kenya as a whole, merited yet another word on the subject.
It is estimated that over half of Nairobi’s population – around 2 million people – live in the city’s numerous informal settlements. Nairobi’s largest slum, and probably most infamous, is Kibera, home to over 1 million people. My work through Faulu has largely centered on the smaller Mukuru settlements. My first day in the Kwa Njenga section of Mukuru slum – where an estimated 75,000 people live on 80 acres of land (and these are only the official numbers) – was an experience like none I’ve ever had before. Walking for what felt like miles among shacks made of corrugated iron, navigating piles of garbage waiting to be burned, jumping over streams of waste winding through the makeshift streets, inhaling the fumes from the cars that attempted to squeeze through the giant maze of stalls and people…it was the making of a nightmare. Yet, for millions of people, this is reality.
Titus, a Faulu client in Mukuru
Chia Buồn
By Hanh Tran, KF8 – Fund for Thanh Hoa Poor Women (FPW) – Vietnam
I never leave home without my camera these days. But there are many instances when I fail to pull it out in time to capture some of the interesting things I pass on the street everyday.
Peddling Bamboo
Then there are times when I am tired of filming or when I capture a moment on video and find myself debating what I should do with it. When you are interviewing people each day and they trust you with their stories, it’s a great privilege – and at times overwhelming. I had one of these moments last week.
Chief Credit Officers, Ms. Ha, whom I’ve grown very fond of, and Ms. Hanh gave me instructions to meet them at Nuoc Mam Thanh Huong for a borrower meeting. This is the area where the popular brand of nuoc mam (fish sauce) is made in Thanh Hoa. I hopped onto a Xe Om (motorbike) and told the driver to take me there. I knew immediately when we had reached the vicinity of our final destination…distinct harsh and pungent whiffs of fermented fish floated through the heavy, humid air. Nuoc mam is a staple of Vietnamese cuisine. I grew up eating many meals with nuoc mam, and still, the scent is too strong for me. I was glad that I had recently caved in and bought a facemask to avoid breathing in the dusty Thanh Hoa air…and in this case, the strong fermented fish odor.
Ms. Ha and Ms. Hoa at a borrower meeting
“No worries; we are always together”
By Andrew Whiteman, KF8
My fellowship in Benin is nearly over. It has been ten weeks of hard work, but I have learned a ton and I have great stories to take back to the US. Some everlasting memories include taking a baboon for a walk (yes, on a leash), being told that I could only wear a speedo at the swimming pool, and visiting a sacred forest, the home of a tree that was once a king. More importantly, now I better understand my reason for being here. During my first few weeks, when everything was stressful and confusing, I remember writing in my journal, “Why I am here? What difference can I, a foreigner, make?” Now, I think I have found a good enough answer for myself. Here are a few things I have learned:
Development takes a long time. Democracy in Africa is at most fifty years old. A working financial sector is even younger. Benin was communist in the 1970s and has therefore only recently adopted a market economy. Although the example is dated, our own country had a lot work out in the first fifty years of its history. Many people, including myself, want an easy answer to all of the world’s problems. But it doesn’t work that way. We work on a problem and then others build on what we have done, slowly resolving the problem. Microfinance is a perfect example. It is a relatively new field and we are all working to make it stronger. It is not perfect right now. It is often hard to see a real impact after someone has taken out three loans and they are still selling a small stock of goods on the side of the road. But at least, people are learning how to manage their money. Many borrowers on Kiva have already received a loan from their MFI, meaning that they are considered financially trustworthy. In the future, an MFI might decide to offer advanced money management courses that help people establish financial goals. More Kiva Fellows go out into the field to make Kiva’s work better. As the Kiva community, we should always be thinking of ways to improve what we do, but also we should be patient and give development a chance.
Our world is shrinking whether we like it or not. We are traveling more, learning new languages, and meeting people who are different from us. People in Benin listen to American music and watch Lost and Prison Break. In the rural north of Benin, people are starting to receive Internet service via cell phones. We no longer have the choice to remain separated from the rest of the world. It is our responsibility to engage each other, to figure out where all this is going. This is one great benefit of the Kiva Fellows Program—you enter a totally new environment and are forced to interact. I believe that it is hospitality that can connect us all. Almost every culture in the world places a high priority on hospitality. People in Benin often offer to pay for me, even if they do not have very much money. It is a sign that I am welcome in their country. Often when I say goodbye to someone in Benin, they say, “no worries; we are always together.” Luckily, if we all hold onto our shared generosity and hospitality, we have a lot to look forward to in the future.
In short, engaging the world is relevant and necessary. It is easy to be cynical or overly optimistic about international development, but I think it’s better to be somewhere in the middle. A lot of work still needs to be done to promote development and increase cultural understanding, but through Kiva, we are doing our part. As a Kiva Fellow, I have been able to meet some of the people that you lend to from thousands of miles away. I think this is powerful and I am fortunate to help make that connection. I look forward to continuing to lend to others around the world over the years. I wonder what microfinance will look like in ten, fifteen years…
Part tour guide, part Kiva-in-Benin promoter, here are a few photos of this beautiful country:
Ganvier, the "Venice of Africa", located thirty minutes north of Cotonou
On the road to Bassila. During the rainy season, Benin is quite green.
A mosque in Porto-Novo
A view over the Dantokpa Market in Cotonou.
Andrew Whiteman is a Kiva Fellow (KF8), currently working at Alidé, a Kiva Field Partner, in Cotonou, Benin.
Please consider joining my lending team, Friends of Benin. Together, we can make a difference!
Power to the People
By Abby Gray, KF6 Togo and KF7 Senegal
How a Kiva Fellow Alumna’s non-profit organization, SunPower Afrique, is shedding light on MFIs in West Africa
“Beep,” complained my laptop, unhappy about its sudden switch to battery power. The fan above me whirred gently to a stop, no longer drying the beads of sweat incessantly forming on my forehead. “Page can not be displayed,” grumbled Firefox. My internet connection was gone, along with any hope I had of uploading my stack of borrower profiles to the Kiva website.
I walked out into the hallway and found the employees of my Senegalese microfinance institution slowly leaking out of their offices as well. We pulled up chairs in a circle, sat down, and prepared to sweatily twiddle our thumbs until the power gods had mercy on us, whether in ten minutes or ten hours.
An employee at FECECAV, a Togolese MFI, tracking loan repayments by hand. Many of FECECAV's branches operate without electicity.
Power cuts are a regular occurrence in West Africa, as in most parts of the developing world. Production and distribution of electricity are unable to meet demand, causing frequent rolling blackouts and interrupted service. For MFIs (and many other businesses), this means countless manpower hours lost, high overhead costs, low employee morale, a short shelf-life for office equipment and other low efficiencies in daily operations. These consequences are even more debilitating for MFIs who work with Kiva – the Kiva partnership depends on technology and internet connectivity to successfully fund loans for enterprising clients. Gasoline-powered generators, the obvious alternative, represent a significant up-front investment and are extremely costly to run and maintain.
So, what can be done to provide MFIs with a reliable source of power??
Enter Kira Costanza, the courageous Kiva Fellow Alumna, galloping in on her trusty steed named Solar Power!
A quarter million hits and counting!
By JD Bergeron, Kiva Fellows Program Director
Perhaps a few of you noticed in the sidebar to the right that Kiva Stories from the Field recently passed 250,000 views. Started in summer 2007, the blog was intended to promote the work of Kiva Fellows in the field and to provide a view into the daily lives of these incredible, generous people doing their part to promote Kiva’s mission of connecting individuals through lending for the sake of alleviating poverty.
This blog has seemingly inspired a number of other social enterprise blogs and Kiva is quite proud of the reach, breadth and enthusiasm shown toward these stories. We have recently been added to Lonely Planet’s blogsherpa program which automatically links content from specific countries to those pages on the Lonely Planet website. See Liberia for an illustration of how Kiva Fellow Dave McMurtry has become one of the voices for visitors to the West African nation.
It is our aim to continue to provide high quality personal stories and observations on a daily (or nearly daily) basis. Please share the blog with your friends. And we would love to hear your suggestions for stories you’d like to read!
Sometimes it just aint enough…
by Michael Kasseris
Often times life is like a boxing match. You’re put into the ring with a challenge and you have some rounds to hash it out. Once you’re in this figurative ring you have a few options: you can get scared and jump out of the ring, you could dance around for a few rounds, or you can try to engage the challenge and see how you hold up. I know this metaphor sounds incredibly cliché, however it reminds me of a phrase our Fellows director told us way back in San Fran. To prepare us for our experiences in the “microfinance mundo,” ( I borrowed this from Susan Arthur, I really like it!) he told us that we should be ready for a few “gut punches.” (more…)
Connecting with Fuseina
By Nancy Tuller, KF8, Ghana
Fuseina is the kind of person that you want in your life. She is kind, gracious, friendly, confident, warm, generous in spirit and loving, all at the same time. Our short visit together reminded me of the reason I am here, and the reason I love this work (if you can call it that!), and the reason I so admire what Kiva is facilitating. This is human connection at its finest.
This connection is what drew me to microfinance 15 years ago. When Kiva came up with a way to personalize that connection even further with their online lending to specific individuals back in 2005, I knew they had hit upon a recipe for success. It is this personal, intimate connection between individuals—knowing that your loan is going to Gifty Mensah in Senegal, whose face you know, and whose need to buy a new oven for her baking business is so real—which draws increasing numbers of people who may have never considered giving to other organizations, to begin a sustained program of lending and re-lending. I told several of my mail clients (I am a letter carrier at home in California) about Kiva and several of them have loaned to clients here in Ghana. I visited two of those clients last week, and we had a wonderful connection. I”ve visited with clients and their families in their homes and just the other day made a lunch date with another client’s wife! I have friends who have emailed me wanting to lend to clients, I have started three lending groups so far, with many joiners who have expressed their desire to make that connection with a particular client. I have made many intimate connections with Kiva loan clients, which has been the most rewarding aspect of my Kiva Fellowship. My photos and memories are my own proof of that connection. Clients have, time and again, expressed their deep gratitude to their lenders, and I have even seen a woman break down in tears when expressing that gratitude and wonder that someone she doesn’t even know would give her such help through a loan. This is what connections are all about: recognizing that we are one family interconnected through our shared humanity and our shared destiny. (more…)
Charles Taylor’s Legacy – Perspective From Liberia
Charles Taylor systematically murdered 10% of Liberia’s population. The who remain walk the streets of Monrovia as his legacy.
Continue Reading 15 August 2009 at 08:15 DaveMcMurtry 5 comments
A Tale of Two Cities in One
By Rob Mittelman, KF8, Peru
Most days I struggle with what I see.
The academic in me would explain the concept of economic dualism as the coexistence of modern and traditional sectors within a single economy, especially as found in less-developed countries. Modern and traditional are perhaps polite terms for rich and poor (that’s not the academic in me, that’s the cynic). The division between rich and poor, or modern and traditional, is as great here as I’ve seen in Latin America. Statistics may say otherwise but I see a great discrepancy.
During my Kiva Fellows Program I am living in a middle class neighbourhood in Lima called Jesus Maria. There are much nicer and safer neighbourhoods nearby where most of the other foreigners live but I chose this one as it’s close to EDAPROSPO’s main office. This wasn’t the Peru I was expecting.
Kenya’s Post-Election Crisis Revisited.
By Alison Carlman, KF8, Kenya
Kenya’s post election violence is probably far from the minds of most people in the world. After all – the contested election and its ensuing rioting happened in late 2007, and that was years ago. (See Former Kiva Fellow Zack Turner’s blog post from 2008 here, describing the conflict.) Surely you’d think that people were recovering from the trauma and have moved on with their lives.
Yes and no.
In my first several weeks of borrower interviews, a few borrowers brought up the violence when asked I about their challenges. Many eyes even swelled up with tears as these Kenyans described what happened to their businesses and to their families in the aftermath.
Surprised by how close it all still felt to many of these people, I began to ask every borrower about the post-election violence and how it has affected their lives. They have remarkable stories. Peres Akinyi Mimba, for example, had a successful informal hardware business in 2007. “I had a big shop, I even had to transport things on lorries” she explained to me. But during the period of violence her shop was looted and she lost most of her goods were stolen. Now she is taking a loan out to help re-build her business back to where it was before – she currently just sells basic paints and nails, but she wants to sell a larger variety of hardware supplies.
Alison (right) interviewing Consolata (center), with help of K-MET translator, Debra (left)
BOOM! housing (a case for housing loans)
By Cameron Morris KF8, Mozambique
Kiva is the world’s first person-to-person micro-lending website, empowering individuals to lend directly to unique entrepreneurs around the globe, right? Well, yes and no. Although that text is lifted directly from the about us section of Kiva’s website it doesn’t tell the complete story. If your zeal for Kiva has lead you to spend late nights combing through Kiva loans you may have also noticed loans for housing, education, and personal use. Alas, how is building a home, going to school or buying a refrigerator an entrepreneurial activity. None of these activities are inherently entrepreneurial, but they are all deeply connected to Kiva’s umbrelic mission to connect people through lending for the sake of alleviating poverty. Let me tell you a few things you may not know about the housing market.
Thank You – Beninese Style
By Andrew Whiteman, KF8 in Benin
A view over Dantokpa Market, where many Alidé borrowers sell their goods
One day, I walked into one of Alidé’s offices in Cotonou to work with the loan officers. Right inside the gate, in the outdoor waiting area, I saw about thirty women seated patiently in perfect rows. Everyone was wearing their best pagnes, brilliantly colored Beninese fabrics, so I could tell that it was an important day.
After working for a little while, I started to hear drums and shakers. The sounds were sporatic at first, as if the drummers were warming up for a performance. Soon enough, I heard lively chanting and a quick-paced rhythm. It was very close by. The neighborhood around the office is often noisy, so I assumed that the drumming was coming from some other building. I had to go outside to investigate because the music was too good. Low and behold, the drumming and chanting was coming from the women who I had seen earlier. All of them were dancing and moving to the drumbeat, smiling and having a great time. One woman was leading the rest in front of the group, in a call and response fashion. The space was full of energy. With thirty people dancing their hearts out around you, it is impossible not to want to join in.
I had to ask what all this was about. Drumming and dancing was not something I would have expected from a microfinance institution. An Alidé employee explained to me that these women were part of a women’s group and had all recently been granted Alidé loans. The woman leading everyone in the singing and dancing was the group’s president. They were expressing their gratitude to Alidé for the ability to have access to credit. For some reason, I found it hard to imagine singing and dancing happening in the United States when someone received a loan. Well, I guess maybe these days.
Women’s groups like these are very common in Benin and in the world of microfinance. Their purpose is to help women manage their money. The members help each other sort through the loan policies and to remember to repay each month. In this way, the mutual support and subtle pressure helps prevent borrower default and delinquency. During the meeting I witnessed, the president stood up and spoke very sternly to the group about a few women who had not paid their loans back. Groups like these are responsible in part for the low loan default and delinquency rate on Kiva. Alidé’s clients are about 90 percent women and many are members of such groups.
The singing and dancing soon stopped and everyone took their seats again. Two of the loan officers approached the front of the group and started speaking rapidly in Fon. The Alidé employee sitting next to me told me that the loan officers were now giving a training session on Alidé’s policies. After borrowers are approved for loans, they are required to come to the office to learn all of the necessary information about interest rates, loan terms, and repayments. The loan officers also gave some practical advice. They stressed that the women should discuss their loans with their husbands and take care of their health.
These groups, with the help of loan officers, are helping women to better take control of their lives. Virtually all of Alidé’s borrowers on the Kiva website have received more than one loan from the institution, meaning that they are reliable customers. Each new loan means a little more money, greater inventory at the business, and greater profits. The singing and dancing I witnessed showed me how important the access to credit is to small business owners here in Benin. It was a heartfelt, genuine thank you from people in need. I am convinced that microcredit an important service that can only be expanded to more people. Since witnessing my first Beninese thank you, I have seen several others at Alidé offices. These types of experiences keep me in love with Africa and its rich culture.
Andrew Whiteman is a Kiva Fellow (KF8), currently working at Alidé, a Kiva Field Partner, in Cotonou, Benin.
The Sundance Island: A Photo Essay of Samoa
By Athan Makansi - KF8 – SPBD, Samoa
A picture captures a thousand words. Here are a few thousand words from my past 9 weeks with Kiva Partner South Pacific Business Development in Samoa:
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Beach in Savaii, Samoa
Although poor, Samoa has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Bright, white sand, dotted with fallen coconuts and perfected by the sound of rolling waves make Samoa a good place for vacationers as well as for microfinance.
the Artist and the Artisan
By Suzy Marinkovich, KF8 Peru
What is an artist? What is an artisan? Are they different?
The debate caught my interest when I was walking away from Ayacucho’s Ex-Carcel, a former prison now converted to an artisan market where many of our Kiva borrowers at FINCA Peru work. As I chatted with Jen, a friend of mine and herself an avid student of language, I couldn’t shake something she said. She noted that the term ‘artisan’ often seems more related to poverty or developing nations, whereas the term ‘artist’ seems more attached to an upper-crust society, or simply put, wealth. Her insight got me thinking and researching.
I do not believe the terms have anything the least bit inherent in them that pulls one to poverty or wealth; but it may be a consequence of how we define the terms more generally. Artisans often produce functional goods, and produce a large quantity of the crafts they are good at. Artists, on the other hand, are considered to be those who produce one-of-a-kind-pieces; their livelihood also does not necessarily depend on the production of their works.
A Road Is Paved, A Mall Opens
By Sloane Berrent, KF8, Ahon sa Hirap, Inc, Philippines
A Center Meeting in San Jose, Antique, Philippines.
“How has Ahon sa Hirap, Inc.” (ASHI and my host microfinance institution) “being here in your barangay or in your town helped your community?”
I ask the women from ASHI during each Center meeting that I attend. There are a few variations on this question. I ask how their lives have changed and what the Center means to them.“My husband had a stroke and couldn’t work anymore. I worked as a domestic in town and had to travel very far every day for not a lot of money. I joined ASHI 7 years ago to start a buy and sell fish business so that I could stay closer to home to take care of my husband and help my children.”
“After my husband died, I was so lonely. My children are all grown up and out of the house. I was sad. I joined ASHI 13 years ago and now my life is so different. I laugh. I come here every week to see my friends.”
“My house was very bad and made from old bamboo. When typhoon season came, my family had to run to our neighbors because we were scared our house would collapse. With my ASHI loan, I was able to move my Sari Sari store to a busier corner where workers pass by on their way to the fields. I open at 4AM and close at 8PM but am very happy. Now 10 years later, we now have a house made of stone and we don’t run from the typhoons anymore.”
But has it changed MORE than that? What about an entire town?
I had heard that seeing microfinance in action could be like watching grass grow. So gradual, so slow. How could I say that there is indeed a larger change in the landscape of where microfinance sets up shop?
I turned to the ASHI staff. It was a Saturday night and we were going to go out to dinner together. The two Kiva Coordinators asked me if we could stop in the new local mall that opened so that could grab a few things.
“Sure,” I said. No problem.
We walked to the end of the drive and hopped into a tricycle and took off towards the mall. There was light traffic, the road wasn’t too bumpy, we arrived to throngs of people gathering outside the mall, in the entrance, more teenagers and families gathered.
“This has been huge for our town,” the one Kiva Coordinator said.
(more…)
10 Fellowship Gems
By Cynthia McMurry, KF8 Ecuador
Over the past year, I have learned valuable lessons about life, gotten to know myself better, greatly enriched my understanding of microfinance, observed the workings of the informal economy in Latin America, been touched by many clients’ stories and experiences, and been proud to represent Kiva at four different MFIs in three South American countries.
Some of my favorite moments, though, have absolutely nothing to do with microfinance. They’re little cultural quirks, lifestyle adaptations, or just silly everyday things that make me smile, remember that I am not from here, and cherish the experience that much more.
Some of my favorites:
Best heckle: Anyone who’s as white as me and who has tried to run in public in Latin America knows what it’s like to be heckled. You usually get whistles, catcalls, and hear things like, “Faster!” “Run!” and “ONE two three ONE two three.” After a while you learn not to pay too much attention and to instead focus your energy on watching out for dogs and traffic.
Out running in Trujillo at 7am one morning, a driver stuck his head out the window and yelled “Yuquitas peladas!” (“Little peeled yuccas!”), a metaphorical reference to the whiteness of my legs. By far the most creative heckle ever, plus I’m impressed that he was able to think of it so quickly (especially that early in the morning) and stick his head out of the car window while driving and avoiding traffic mishaps. Kudos. (more…)
Kiva in Liberia – What a Fascinating Country!
This place is like no country I’ve ever seen, and I’ve been fortunate to see over 130 in my 20+ years of adventure travel. (more…)
A Recipe for Adding Value to Microcredit
By Courtney Kemps, KF8 Peru
1 kg of peeled cocona fruits
2 liters of water
450 grams of sugar
10 grams of stabilizer
2 cups of milk
These are the ingredients for making popsicles from cocona, a bright orange-yellow fruit grown in Peru’s jungle region. This recipe was one of four distributed to all who attended a recent workshop on how to make ice cream and other frozen treats sponsored by Manuela Ramos’s Pucallpa office.
In my two months working as a Kiva Fellow with Manuela Ramos in Pucallpa I have had the good fortune to attend two educational workshops designed for the organization’s borrowers. Manuela Ramos takes the educational component of their microfinance program very seriously. Sonia Mamani Gamarra is the full-time education coordinator for the Pucallpa office and is responsible for organizing these monthly workshops as well as the educational sessions given by loan officers at each communal bank’s monthly meeting.
Workshops are planned far in advance of their execution and are taught by specialists in the particular topic being presented. This year’s workshops were designed following a survey of about 60-70% of Manuela’s borrowers, who were asked what they were most interested in learning, the best time and location for workshops, and how long the sessions should last. Some workshops are designed to add value to business ventures that are already common among Manuela Ramos’s borrowers (i.e. home-based restaurants or the sale of beauty products). Others introduce new ideas based on what is likely to sell well in Pucallpa (i.e. ornamental plants or ice cream). Prior workshops have instructed borrowers in cooking (particularly regional dishes), making decorations with recycled materials, doing manicures and pedicures, preparing desserts, and giving makeovers.
In June I joined about 30 borrowers at a plant nursery outside the city where an agronomist taught us how to raise tropical ornamental plants for the house or yard. Participants received detailed instructions about how to grow the plants, make cuttings, treat plant diseases, and produce compost. The classroom portion was followed by an instructive tour of the facility.
Workshop on Growing Ornamental Plants
TLM… hotter than an Indonesian rap song!
by Cissy DeLuca, KF8, Indonesia
When most people think of Indonesia, the first places that usually come to mind are Bali and Jakarta. West Timor may be the last place a person associates with Indonesia. West Timor is part of the NTT province, which is the poorest in Indonesia. That means the people of this area need Kiva lenders the most!
Nestled in the bustling metropolis of Kupang is a humble organization called Tanaoba Lais Manekat. Only posting on Kiva since March 2009, they are rapidly becoming the next big thing in microfinance, Kiva and the world!
I made this video to get all you Kiva lenders as pumped on West Timor and TLM as I am!
Cissy Deluca is a proud member of KF8 working in Indonesia with TLM. Please feel free to join their rapidly growing lending team or follow them on twitter!
The story of a dog, a ghost, and a Kiva Borrower
by Rob Mittelman, KF8, Peru
When I visit Kiva Borrowers, I bring along a colour printout of their Kiva Profile for them to keep. For many of them it’s a real thrill. They knew their information was on the internet but had never seen their page, their picture, or read their own story before (our stories appear in the original Spanish underneath the English translation). It usually gets passed around and shown to all present. There are always lots of giggles and some embarrassment as I tell them people in the US know about their little restaurant, people in Spain know about their market stall, or how someone from Norway is familiar with their handicrafts. Most take very good care of the printout while I’m around. I don’t know where it ends up but I’ve yet to see it folded up, stuffed in a pocket, or left behind.
One of the most exciting parts for them is seeing their Kiva Lenders and where they come from. For most the people reading this blog, that’s you! (more…)
Breastfeeding and Social Responsibility in Microfinance
What if Kiva were to encourage its microfinance partners to include breastfeeding initiation and duration rates in their social performance and responsibility assessments?
Continue Reading 4 August 2009 at 12:48 suearthur 5 comments
A good ol’ fashioned microfinance story
by Milena Arciszewski, KF8
I’m volunteering at Community Economic Ventures, an MFI in the Philippines. Today I prepared a journal update for a Kiva borrower that I liked so much that I’m posting it here, too.
I hope you enjoy it!
To lend to borrowers like Restituta, check out: http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&partner_id=125&status=fundRaising&sortBy=New+to+Old
Milena Arciszewski has a year-long Kiva Fellowship. She has already finished placements in Bosnia and Kenya and is now in her final placement at Community Economic Ventures, Inc. in the Philippines. You can reach her at milena.kathryn@gmail.com.
Kiva Starts Lending in Eastern Congo
By: John Soleanicov, KF8 DRC
Since the mid 1990s, war in the eastern regions of the Democratic Republic of Congo has taken more lives than any other conflict since World War II. Started in the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide, the war involved 7 African countries and more than 25 armed groups. By some estimates, more than 5 million people lost their lives, many from illness and malnutrition. As a result, eastern DRC has also become notorious for the widespread use of rape by various parties as a weapon of war.
One of the main epicenters of the struggle, and site of several key battles was Kisangani, the town in which Joseph Conrad’s tragic hero, Kurtz, lost his sanity and his soul. Last week, I made a trip out to Kisangani to see the “Heart of Darkness” for myself and to help kick-start Kiva lending there.
