Archive for January, 2011
Lights out in Nepal: Working through Load-Shedding
By Claudine Emeott, KF14, Nepal
When I arrived in Nepal to begin work with Kiva’s local partner here, BPW Patan, the majority of tourists and trekkers had just cleared out, likely heading for warmer climates or at least easier living conditions — because, by most standards, winter makes life in Nepal rather challenging.
First, there is the cold. Yes, daytime temperatures reach the mid 60s, which is about 60 degrees warmer than the temperatures I gladly left behind in Chicago. But there is no central heat, and buildings are constructed of cement and marble, with no insulation. So while it may be sunny and warm outside, I am finding it common to see my breath indoors at the same time. There are ways to combat the cold, though, and I am following the example set by locals, who wear several layers, scarves, and the wool ear-flap hats that are de rigueur these days:
My First Purchase in Kathmandu: The Functional and Fashionable Ear-Flap Hat
While the cold can get slightly uncomfortable, a far more challenging aspect of winter is a lack of water. Nepal has a dry season, generally from October through March, and a wet season, typically from April through September. When the water levels are low in the dry season, the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has to forcibly reign in electricity consumption with scheduled power cuts, which, at their worst, make up 12-14 hours of each day. Here is the current load-shedding schedule; it is generally reliable, but in practice the time blocks may differ by an hour or more:
The Current Load-Shedding Schedule (Timeframes Listed Refer to Power Cuts)
Although the load-shedding schedule ensures that all areas equally receive (or do not receive) electricity, this nod to fairness stops there. I am fortunate enough to live in a home with an inverter, which allows us to power our laptops, run wireless internet, and use low-watt light bulbs even when the electricity is off. Many people, though, cannot afford an inverter (depending on the inverter and its capability, prices start at about $60 and climb into the tens of thousands of dollars).
BPW Patan, whose office is located in Group 7 for the load-shedding schedule, does not have an inverter. As staff told me repeatedly on my first day at the office, working without consistent and plentiful electricity during the winter months is very challenging. BPW has accordingly kept its operations relatively low-tech. For non-Kiva loans, BPW staff keep meticulous records in paper ledgers:
Paper Ledgers at BPW Patan
And use standard calculators and good math skills for their calculations (seeing this, I tried to recall the last time I did not use Excel to perform financial calculations. I came up short).
Loan Officer Sahani Shrestha Tracking Loans
To track their Kiva loans, the staff use a laptop and internet off-site, typically at the house of BPW‘s director, Urmila Shrestha. Because of the load-shedding schedule, Sanjeev (the Kiva Coordinator), Urmila, and now I often have to work at odd hours to process Kiva-related tasks.
But despite these challenges, BPW Patan still manages to serve a current count of 1,248 women borrowers. I find this pretty amazing.
Claudine Emeott is a Kiva Fellow working with BPW Patan in Patan, Nepal. Want to support women entrepreneurs in Nepal? Check out the BPW Patan Lending Team.
More hot topics in Ecuador
By Ellen Willems, KF13, Ecuador
Last week I finished my Kiva Fellowship in Ecuador. During the past three months I traveled throughout the country to work at Kiva’s three Ecuadorian field partners. I believe that now, at the end of my Fellowship, is a good time to refer back to my first blog entry and, using my personal experiences, reflect on some of the topics mentioned there.
These reflections represent only my personal experiences and should by no means be considered anything more than that. I realize that my experiences are based on a relatively short stay in Ecuador and are limited to only three of the more than 300 Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) active in the country.
Expectations vs. Reality
By: Abhishek Banerjee, KF13, Armenia
As my fellowship at SEF International comes to a close, I find myself reflecting on my experience. I compare it to the expectations I had before arriving in Yerevan and to the experiences the other fellows have had in their respective countries. While I knew very little about Armenia before coming here, I had read everything (not much!) I could find. Some of my expectations were fully surpassed. Others helped me understand the problems the country faces going forward.
Continue Reading 29 January 2011 at 11:59 abanrjee 1 comment
3 Kiva smiles from Benin
One common theme when visiting Kiva borrowers in Benin is their positive attitude and broad smiles. Meeting these people makes my day, every day and I hope these pictures will make yours too.
$3,000 Rent Anyone? Renta de 3,000 dólares? No, Gracias!
by Carlos Cruz Montaño, KF14, Liberia
Upon arriving to Liberia I started looking for a place to live, was just looking for a furnished apartment with nothing out of the ordinary… walked into a new building that was almost finished. The apartments included things like power 24/7, water, water heaters, bedroom set, TV, and a kitchen with gas stove, fridge and some cabinets… nothing out of the ordinary, right? Then I asked about the rent… how much? Three thousand dollars???
Despues de llegar a Liberia me dediqué a buscar un departamento, algo simple y sin lujos. Entré a un edificio que estaban renovando, los departamento tenían todo nuevo e incluían lo básico, electricidad, agua, calentador de agua, cama, closet, y la cocina tenia una estufa de gas, refrigerador y algunos gabinetes. Al parecer nada fuera de lo común… y la renta al mes es cuanto? Tres mil dólares???
Continue Reading 28 January 2011 at 20:00 Carlos 11 comments
Lasting Impressions of Microfinance
By Joanne Gan, KF12 (Indonesia) and KF13 (Philippines)
If you asked me what I have learned about microfinance during my Kiva Fellowship, I wouldn’t know where to start. I have learned that running a social business comes with its share of challenges. I have learned that technology will pave new ways for the future of microfinance. I have learned that the best microfinance organizations have their clients at the heart of all their activities. I could go on and on about my impressions of microfinance from the last six months…but in my final blog post, I will spare you. Instead, below I share with you my 5 favorite images (from the 1,667 photos I’ve taken here) of microfinance at work.
Borrower Visits: Inspirational Stories and Important Lessons
By Julie Shea, KF13, Bolivia
Kiva strives to connect microfinance borrowers and lenders from all corners of the globe – and one medium through which it is able to accomplish this is the Kiva Fellows blog. I would therefore like to dedicate this post to telling the story of Javier Aguilar Soto, what I learned from meeting with him, and some broader lessons I gained, through the meeting, about the field of microfinance.
Continue Reading 25 January 2011 at 21:00 julieshea Leave a comment
My Favorite Small Businesses in Bali
By Jerry Harter, KF13 Indonesia
During my three months in Bali, I gained an appreciation of people’s resourcefulness here. Typically, families have multiple streams of income. Various small enterprises are cobbled together, depending on the resources and demand in the area. Often some money can be made from the land, a little more is made from small-scale manufacturing, and perhaps some income is derived from providing services. For one reason or another, the following are some of my favorites.
Continue Reading 24 January 2011 at 23:05 Jerry Harter 2 comments
Party Time for Borrowers
By Joanne Gan, KF13, Philippines
Since arriving in the Philippines in early November, just in time for the holiday season, I have been to my fair share of parties. None of them, however, quite compare to the event I attended this past weekend in Cauayan, as the Project Dungganon branch office here celebrated its annual Foundation Day.
Loans In The Time Of Cholera, In Haiti
Haiti is an intriguing country, probably very misunderstood, and full of loud, lovely, wonderful people with an admirable sense of joie de vivre.
Continue Reading 24 January 2011 at 08:20 nickhamiltonkiva 7 comments
Lebanon on edge
Lebanon on edge By Caroline Pattinson
As I write the future of Lebanon and the region is uncertain and unstable. The political parties are currently meeting to try to decide the next prime minister and ultimately the fate of a country which has seen more than its fair share of conflict.
Continue Reading 24 January 2011 at 05:52 carolinepattinson 1 comment
Microfinance Loan Officers in Vietnam
By: Tran Chau, KF13, Vietnam
At SEDA, there are 16 loan officers who are the heart of the organization. They are responsible for educating clients, dispersing loans, collecting repayments, completing paperwork, and handling any issues that could arise during the loan cycle. On any given week, from Monday to Thursday, loan officers begin their day somewhere between 7:30AM and 8:30AM when they arrive at the office. There, they get ready to go to the field. They speak to the branch manager and the regional manager, double-check the collection ledgers, and organize the tasks they need to complete for the day. Promptly at 9:00AM, they depart for the field.
Mobile Payments: the Devil is in the Details
By: Tara Capsuto, KF 13, Kenya
Only 4 million Kenyans have bank accounts. Over 10 million people – approximately 40% of the adult population — in the country now use the M-PESA money transfer service. The rapid growth of mobile payments in Kenya in recent years has been hailed as the key to unlocking financial access for millions of unbanked individuals. While mobile payments are transforming the financial landscape in Kenya, especially for the unbanked, experience at KADET (Kenya Agency for Development of Enterprise and Technology), one of Kiva’s MFI partners in Kenya, highlights that there are also real challenges to making mobile money transfers work for an MFI and their clients. Illiteracy, human error, and fraud are all factors that make mobile payments more complicated than they sound initially.
South Africa’s Inspirational Women
EB Moore, KF13 South Africa
Now that Women’s Development Businesses (WDB), Kiva’s new field partner in South Africa, has begun posting loans, maybe you’re curious about who their clients are. I want to share with you snapshots into the lives of two of WDB’s clients from the Mpumalanga province.
Continue Reading 21 January 2011 at 06:01 EB Moore 3 comments
Business Education in South Texas
By Bridget Lewis, KF13, USA
“What makes us different from a bank or other lenders? We want to be a sounding board, and we want to walk with our client at all stages of their business life cycle. I don’t want you to come and leave, I want you to come and stay, and build community.”
Financial Education and the Mexican Dream – La Educación Financiera y el Sueño Mexicano
By Lourdes Toussaint, KF13, Mexico
In Mexico, social class is a powerful force that is present in almost every aspect of the Mexican life. Health, education, jobs, housing, financial services, and many other aspects are greatly influenced by the economic class to which one belongs. Class determines the quality and quantity of opportunities available to a person or a family. So as long as there is mobility, the movement of families up and down the economic ladder due to personal efforts and merit, we can say that there is something close to equality of opportunity. However, in Mexico, classes have remained relatively unchanged over the years; social mobility is not happening as much as we wish it did. Escaping poverty is so difficult that the lower class is practically frozen in its place.
En México, hablar de clases sociales significa hablar de división: salud, educación, empleo, vivienda, servicios financieros y muchos otros aspectos se ven influidos por la clase social a la que se pertenece, llegando esta a convertirse en un factor determinante para definir la cantidad y calidad de oportunidades que se presentan en la vida de una persona. No podremos hablar de igualdad de oportunidades en nuestro país, sino hasta que empiece a haber movilidad, esto es, el movimiento ascendente o descendiente en los niveles socioeconómicos de las familias, fruto de su esfuerzo y mérito personal. Desafortunadamente esta movilidad no se da en México. Las clases sociales han presentado muy pocos cambios en años. Salir de la pobreza es tan difícil que las clases bajas permanecen prácticamente congeladas, sin poder escapar de su situación.
Continue Reading 19 January 2011 at 12:00 lulatoussaint 6 comments
Southern Sudan: Africa’s Newest Country?
by Jennifer Coronel, KF13, Kenya
In the past decade, the African nation of Sudan was in the news because of massive violence in the region of Darfur. Today, the world is watching as the country takes part in a referendum on the south’s potential secession from the north. Voting has gone on for one week and finished this past Sunday. In some areas of the south, over 80% of registered voters took part, and the stringent requirement of 60% total turnout needed for validity of the vote has already been surpassed.
Continue Reading 18 January 2011 at 15:00 jennifermarie88 1 comment
Drawings from Training and Greetings from Boston
By Alexis Ditkowsky, KF14, South Africa
You’ll be hearing a lot from the 14th batch of Kiva Fellows (KF14) in the next few months but I just wanted to take a moment to introduce myself while my Internet is fast and my motivation to go outside is low (it’s well below freezing in Boston).
Continue Reading 18 January 2011 at 08:42 Alexis Ditkowsky 14 comments
Ceremonies and Pigs in Bali
By Jerry Harter, KF13 Indonesia
Recently the Christian Church in Blimbingsari celebrated its 71th Anniversary. As with many important occasions in Bali, this called for the roasting of a pig and making satay. I had the privilege of attending this ceremony and enjoyed both an excellent meal and a wonderful example of community.
Continue Reading 17 January 2011 at 18:21 Jerry Harter 2 comments
MLK Jr., Xenophobia, Immigration, and Microcredit:
Today, we honor of Martin Luther King Jr., a man who stood for justice and equality in face of great adversity. Despite progress since the civil rights movement, both the USA and the world continue to face xenophobia and other divisive forces. Fundación Mujer demonstrates that microcredit can be one tool that effectively counters these challenges and offers opportunity to the oppressed.
Continue Reading 17 January 2011 at 11:30 Rachel G 1 comment
Roller coaster bus rides in Guayaquil
By Ellen Willems, KF13, Ecuador
Riding a bus in Guayaquil can be pretty crazy, even scary sometimes. Cars, buses, motorcycles, bicycles, pedestrians, everybody fights for his place in the street. And on top of that the buses fight for passengers.
The bus drivers don’t own the buses; they pay about $100/day to use them. The driver’s income depends on the number of passengers he picks up, so when two buses of the same line meet, the race is on and the already pretty crazy bus ride turns into a scary roller coaster ride.
Continue Reading 15 January 2011 at 12:00 gokiva Leave a comment
Wealth Management and Savings for the Poor
By Joanne Gan, KF13, Philippines
Dream big. Do you want to pay for your daughter’s university education? Do you want to throw a celebration for your son’s wedding? Do you want to make significant improvements to your house? Even if you are poor, these dreams can be possible through financial planning.
Microfinance in Israel – SAWA Way
Margarita Salasyuk, KF13 Israel and Palestine
A closer look at KIEDF’s micro-enterprise program called SAWA (“together” in Arabic) and its work with low income populations in Israel.
Continue Reading 13 January 2011 at 07:00 Margarita Salasyuk 1 comment
Current State of Microfinance in Vietnam
By: Tran Chau, KF13, Viet Nam
Vietnam currently has 52 microfinance institutions offering microloans and other services to the impoverished. Kiva is partnered with three, SEDA in Hanoi, TYM in Hanoi, and FPW in Thanh Hoa. Of the 52 MFIs, only one, TYM, is officially licensed by the Vietnamese Government.
The Last Mile
“The Last Mile” is one of the most debated concept in microfinance. Here is a real-life example from a recent borrower visit with ALIDe, Kiva’s partner in Benin.
My 3 Favorite Pictures from Cambodia
- Big smile from a Kiva borrower
Cambodians have some of the biggest smiles I have ever seen. During my visits to Kiva borrowers in August and September of 2010, I was given a glimpse of life in rural Cambodia. Below I present some of the challenges of taking photos in the field and also some of my favorite photographs from the borrower visits. (more…)
Kiva Fellows: Kicking off 2011 Around the World
By Kiva Fellows, Various corners of the globe
Around the world, Kiva Fellows are kicking off 2011 in all sorts of different ways. Here’s what a handful of KF13-ers are doing to ring in the New Year. Enjoy and Happy 2011!
