Author Archive
What’s next for KF16? (Part 2)
Compiled by Laurie Young, KF16, Indonesia
Last week you read about about what six of the fellows from KF16 were doing once their fellowships ended. Read on to see what adventures 2012 will bring to some more!
What’s next for KF16? (Part 1)
Compiled by Laurie Young, KF16, Indonesia
I know! We can’t believe it either! Our Kiva Fellowships, as the 16th class, have come to an end. So what’s in store for us once we return to our homes? Or perhaps, stay in the field for another fellowship? Read on for the next chapter in the lives of some of the 16th Class of Kiva Fellows Alumni.
Mr. Cool: Layla’s Story (Video Blog)
By Laurie Young, KF16
Awhile ago I attended a Kiva loan disbursement for VisionFund Indonesia with my Kiva Coordinator, Valentine. She and I were both intrigued by a product called Mr. Cool that Layla, the leader of the group, has a business turning into ice cream pops. Often times the borrowers we met during field visits were quiet and reserved. However, Layla was extremely excited to have us in her home and show us all about her business making Mr. Cool pops. She was the most outgoing and charismatic borrower I met during my time in Jakarta and, because of this, I wanted to share our visit with you.
Microinsurance in Indonesia: Current Challenges and Innovations
By Laurie Young, KF16, Indonesia
I was fortunate enough to be invited to accompany the Director of VisionFund Indonesia to attend the ‘First Microinsurance Marketplace in Indonesia’ coined ‘MIMPI.’ The event was a joint effort by the Indonesian Insurance Council, World Bank and the IFC. There were speakers, panels, and exhibitions over the course of the two days aiming to create a marketplace environment rather than that of traditional conference. Below, I hope to provide you with the current challenges facing the industry based on presentations and discussions during the two-day event. Additionally, I will present some of the product innovations and ideas that have been recently, or are going to be, introduced in Indonesia in an attempt to increase access to insurance for the poor.
Microinsurance in Indonesia: What are the Options for Kiva Borrowers?
By Laurie Young, KF16, Indonesia
According to the World Bank of Indonesia, more than 50% of Indonesians live on less than $2 US per day/per person and more than 80% live on less than $4 US per day/per person. In addition to this, they estimate that greater than one-third of households don’t have access to any formal financial services and microinsurance in the market is negligible. To put this in perspective, the population of Indonesia is estimated at around 245 million and, “in Indonesia today, about one third of the population, or about 77 million people have no financial protection or savings cushion.”
So what type of access do VisionFund Indonesia Kiva borrowers have to microinsurance in Indonesia? Additionally, what is being done to improve the marketplace as a whole in order to increase access to insurance for the poor? I will try to answer these two questions in this two-part blog.
Remembering Rizky: VisionFund Indonesia Loses One of Their Own
By Laurie Young, KF16, Indonesia
Monday, October 31st marked the end of Rizky’s three-month probationary period as a loan officer in VisionFund Indonesia’s (VFI) Cilincing office. This means on November 1st he would have become an employee of VisionFund Indonesia with full benefits. Sadly, he was not able to celebrate this milestone because on the evening of Friday, October 28th, he tragically passed away in a traffic accident while riding home on his motorbike from a soccer game with friends. He was 20 years old. Often times, as Kiva lenders, we feel such a connection to the borrowers we choose to lend to through the photos and stories that we neglect to think about all of the people who spend their days traveling by motorbike, foot, or public buses around places like Jakarta to make Kiva a reality.
Meeting Karsinah: Maximizing My Social Return on Investment
By Laurie Young, KF 16, Indonesia
For you mathematicians out there, what’s the probability that out of the 43 VFI borrowers that were on Kiva.org at the time a random sample of 10 borrowers was drawn for visits that I would need to make, one of the selections would be one of the three groups I had lent to? Well, obviously good enough that it happened! Imagine my excitement when I received my Borrower Verification (BV) sample and saw one of the groups in my Kiva portfolio!
This is my story of meeting Karsinah, a Kiva borrower that I had chosen to lend to a few months ago and how Kiva loans provide a social return on investment to lenders.
New City, New Field Partner: Getting to know VisionFund Indonesia (Part 2 of 2)
By Laurie Young, KF16, Indonesia
When we last left off in this new adventure, I hadn’t yet stepped foot into the office of my Field Partner, VisionFund Indonesia (VFI). It’s amazing what a difference two weeks makes! Not only have I now spent time in the office with the staff at Headquarters (HQ) and met with loan officers at two branches, I was also invited to attend the Annual Meeting for VFI near Bandung, Indonesia! What’s a better way to get to know an organization than by spending a week attending presentations about the past, present, and future of the MFI and participate in team building activities? Thanks to the help of the Kiva Coordinator and others who probably regretted sitting next to me during the training (because they ended up having to translate pieces of presentations from Bahasa Indonesian to English), I’ll fill you in on some of the great things I’ve learned! Also, if you manage to make it to the end of this post, I promise to provide you with a great surprise that we could call ‘Laurie’s Justin Bieber Indonesian Karaoke debut.’
New City, New Field Partner: Settling into the “Big Durian” (Part 1 of 2)
By Laurie Young, KF16, Indonesia
A little over 4 months ago Kiva welcomed a new field partner headquartered in Jakarta, VisionFund Indonesia (VFI). VFI operates out of the two largest cities in Indonesia: Jakarta and Surabaya. Because it’s a relatively new relationship, a fellow has yet to spend time with VFI or be placed in Jakarta. That’s where I enter this story. I’m working with VFI to help them move from a pilot to active status. Within my two-part series, I’ll give you a taste of what it’s like to get settled in the field and get to know a new partner.
