Author Archive
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.
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…)
How do you know Maria in Peru is really buying a sewing machine with her loan?
by Rob Mittelman, KF8 Peru
A Kiva Fellow has many jobs. I have well over a dozen different tasks on my workplan.
Some of them bring us great joy and inspiration like interviewing Kiva Borrowers and getting to know new cultures and new people.
Some let us be creative like this blog and all the Flip Camera videos you see.
Some make us feel like management consultants or professors preparing PowerPoint decks and going through trainings with our MFIs on new Kiva policies or web tools.
We write about these experiences because of how fun it is to be a Kiva Fellow and how lucky we are to do these things (not blowing smoke here, it really is cool, check it out for yourself). However, one of the more unpleasant but important jobs we have is borrower verification.
Borrower verification is making sure that what you see on the website is what is really happening in the field. (more…)
Who is this crazy gringo?
by Rob Mittelman, KF8 Peru
In the immortal words of Austin Powers, “Allow myself to introduce…myself”. My name is Rob Mittelman from Ottawa, Canada and I’m a member of KF8 headed to Lima, Peru to work with Edaprospo. When I’m not working as a Kiva Fellow, I’m a PhD in Management Candidate at Carleton University.
When I first traveled to South America and was called gringo, I was very defensive. I always thought it was a pejorative term for Americans. I’m a proud Canadian after all; I’m no gringo.
