Posts filed under ‘Liberia’
Update from the Field: Personal Connections, Supply and Demand + A Culinary Excursion
Compiled by Kathrin Gerner, KF15, Togo
As the 14th class passes the baton to the 15th class, the Kiva fellows are sharing their final thoughts and first impressions. Be inspired by the personal connections Kiva creates between lenders and borrowers in Nepal and Sierra Leone. Find out how a phenomenal harvest can prevent farmers in Nicaragua from repaying their loans. Discover the creative ways of assessing credit worthiness used in Uganda and around the globe. Sample local customs and cuisine, while reading about the Day of the Child in Mexico and taking a culinary excursion in Liberia. Lastly, share the experiences of Kiva fellows across three continents in Colombia, Ghana and Ukraine.
Continue Reading 23 May 2011 at 01:10 Kathrin Gerner 3 comments
Stretching a buck in Monrovia
by Carlos Cruz Montaño KF14, Liberia
Are you hungry and you have only one dollar for a snack? With an exchange rate around 72 Liberian Dollars (LRD) per US dollar, a buck will give you a chance to try several snacks that sell for 10LRD or less…
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Update from the Field: Farewells, Mistaken Identities + Micro-Microfinance
Compiled by Alexis Ditkowsky, KF14, South Africa
We’ve officially hit the point in the Kiva Fellows cycle where the current batch says goodbye just as the latest group is getting their bearings at Kiva HQ. Fortunately, there are a number of posts this week to help us through the transition and cheer us up. If you’re interested in a comprehensive image gallery of the hot designs for share taxis in Rwanda, we’ve got you covered. We’ve also got stories about micro-micro-businesses in Sierra Leone, visiting research fellows in West Timor, and the intersection of medicine and microfinance in Bolivia. Plus, take long trips to the field in Armenia and Peru, and catch up on the impact of microloans in South Africa.
Continue Reading 2 May 2011 at 00:38 Alexis Ditkowsky 4 comments
Unusual Roles of a Kiva Fellowship
What do a woman, a priest, a diamond trader have in common with microfinance?
As a Kiva Fellow one has many roles like trainer, guest speaker, advisor and others but I never expected someone to think of me as a woman, a priest or a diamond trader… how did it happened?
Meeting a Microfinance Group in Monrovia
Update from the Field: Fun Facts, Field Visits + Back to Basics
Compiled by Alexis Ditkowsky, KF14, South Africa
For many Fellows, this week was about getting back to basics: the borrowers. In between fun facts about Kiva Fellowships, doing database detective work, and reflecting on the internal dynamics of Kiva’s partner microfinance institutions, Fellows found themselves in the field again and again, much to their delight and often to the delight of borrowers. From Latin America to Africa to the Caucasus to Southeast Asia to Eastern Europe, meet Kiva clients, learn about their businesses, and check out all of the great photos.
Continue Reading 21 March 2011 at 01:53 Alexis Ditkowsky 9 comments
Update from the Field: Man’s Day, Singing Fellows + Learning How to Count
Compiled by Alexis Ditkowsky, KF14, South Africa
The Fellows will be covering International Women’s Day later this week but let’s take a moment to acknowledge its lesser-known cousin in Kyrgyzstan, “Man’s Day”. And while you’re appreciating culture and history in far-off places, take a trip to Peru and West Timor through photos, visit borrowers in Uganda and Rwanda through video, learn a little something about communicating in South Africa, and catch up on the latest from Liberia, Ghana, and Mexico (home to the “Singing Fellow”).
Continue Reading 7 March 2011 at 00:16 Alexis Ditkowsky 7 comments
Knowing and Understanding, Saber y Entender
by Carlos Cruz Montano KF14
One of my local friends came to me one day… “Mr. Montano I need to talk to you”. Later that day he told me he had to send money to his mother and had other expenses but payday which was still a few days away. We agreed on the terms, half with the current month’s pay and the other half with the following month’s pay; both at the end of the month since that’s when he receives his pay. No big deal, I thought.The first paydate came and went – no payment. He had an explanation and reasoning of how we had agreed for him to pay on the 14th of the month – to his credit he did pay back the first half on that day but this simple incident finally made me understand what three directors at different microfinance institutions (MFIs) had been telling me in one way or another, sometimes borrowers simply do not understand the terms of the loan.
Uno de mis amigos llegó un día muy sonriente y me dijo Señor Montano, necesito hablar con usted. Un rato después me explicó que tenía una pequeña emergencia y debía mandar un poco de dinero a su mamá pero todavía faltaban varios días para el fin de mes (que es cuando recibe su sueldo mensual). Después de platicar llegamos a un acuerdo, yo le iba a prestar el dinero; el haría dos pagos en el último día del mes, es cuando recibe su salario. Pasó el último día del mes como si nada, cuando lo volví a ver le pregunte que había pasado. El me salió con una historia que el había acordado pagarme a mitad de mes. Al final si me pagó pero este pequeño incidente finalmente me hizo enteder lo que tres directores de instituciones de microfinanzas (IMFs) me habian comentado: a veces los clientes simplemente no entienden los términos del contrato.
$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
This, too, is Liberia
by EB Moore, KF12 Liberia
As I prepare to leave Liberia, I find that I’m at a loss for words to describe my feelings. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I’m letting some photos do the talking for me in this photo diary.
Continue Reading 29 October 2010 at 11:00 EB Moore Leave a comment
Bridging the Divide
By EB Moore, KF12 Liberia
As the concept of microfinance has become more widely known, it has grown to occupy a strange space between business and philanthropy. Where is it currently, and where should it be?
Continue Reading 11 October 2010 at 06:00 EB Moore 2 comments
A Taste of Liberia
By EB Moore, KF12 Liberia
To help wrap up food month at Kiva, I wanted to share some of what I’ve learned about Liberian food. Here is a short discussion of Liberian food, a recipe for Potato Greens, and links for those who want to learn more.
Continue Reading 31 August 2010 at 05:30 EB Moore 3 comments
Google Comes to Liberia
By EB Moore, KF12 Liberia
Several days ago I attended an event at Monrovia’s City Hall called “Internet Camp Liberia,” hosted by representatives from Google. I found it very informative and well-targeted, in addition to having some larger implications for microfinance in the region.
Continue Reading 23 August 2010 at 05:55 EB Moore 2 comments
Traveling to Liberia? Be Prepared.
As my time in Liberia comes to a close, I am reflecting back on all that I’ve learned over the last three months. I’d like to pass along some helpful information to any readers who may be planning to travel to Liberia in the future.
Debt Collecting Can Be Fun!
By EB Moore, KF12 Liberia
As Kiva lenders, you have experienced the exciting feeling of seeing your loaned funds return to your account, ready to be re-lent – but what happens when your funds aren’t returned when you were expecting them (or at all)?
As a Kiva fellow working with LEAP (Local Enterprise Assistance Program) in Liberia, I was able to get first hand experience with how delinquent loans are dealt with. After just one week on the job, I joined a loan officer, branch manager, and branch supervisor on their trip to visit clients in arrears.
Continue Reading 10 August 2010 at 01:00 EB Moore 10 comments
Think, Pray, Work
In 1997 Esther Borh was a LEAP Borrower. Today she is the branch manager of one of LEAP’s 12 branches. In describing her job, Esther says that, “I think, pray, and work for everyone.”
USA vs. An Entire Continent
With this win, Ghana would become only the third African team to ever make it to the quarterfinals of The World Cup. No, Ghana, and Africa as a whole, had much more riding on this game.
Why Do We Lend?
After immersing myself in all things Kiva, I was prepared to answer a lot of questions, but none as basic as this one.
How Do You Define “Efficient”?
Even in my wildest “imagine what it would be like” scenarios, never in a million years did I stop to ask myself, “How did people conduct modern day business before paved roads, a reliable postal service, unlimited phone plans, reliable electricity, etc.?” Well here in Liberia, the questions are not hypothetical.
Don’t Eat the Money
By Karen Buxton, KF10, Liberia
Liberians have many expressions that make me smile. Rather than saying, “How are you?” they ask “How da body?” and respond “Body fine-o!” Rather than “Don’t use your loan for personal expenses – use it for your business,” they encapsulate the notion into: “Don’t eat the money!”
Don’t eat the money is an important concept that is essential for microfinance to work effectively. Over the past three months, I have observed loan officers at the Local Enterprise Assistance Program (LEAP) consistently emphasize to borrowers the importance of using the loan for its intended purpose. At a client training last week, LEAP Loan Officer Momoh Johnson asked a group of clients, “Is the money to be eaten?!” “Nooooo!” was the boisterous reply of the group. After the training, I asked Momoh how common it is for LEAP borrowers to eat the money. He said that it’s not as common for clients who are on their first loan cycle because they want to impress LEAP. But once clients have gone through a couple of loan cycles they are more tempted to eat the money, which is one of the reasons clients are required to come back to LEAP for a 2-hour training and refresher course each time they take out a new loan.
Continue Reading 12 May 2010 at 10:53 Karen Buxton 6 comments
A Country in Transition
By Karen Buxton, KF10, Liberia
One of the reasons I was initially inspired to do a Kiva Fellowship in Liberia is the fact that Ellen Sirleaf was elected President of Liberia four years ago, making her the first democratically elected woman president of any country in Africa. Having been here for three months, I can personally attest to the fact that Liberia is filled with strong, determined, tenacious, resilient women. Unfortunately, I can also attest to the fact that there are still significant disparities between men and women here; so much so that it can be unsettling.
Continue Reading 7 May 2010 at 07:43 Karen Buxton 3 comments
Liberia: Tryin’ Small
Liberia is tryin’ small. This common expression can be heard everywhere here: it means “I’m okay” or “I’m getting by” and is the equivalent of how many Americans reflexively answer “Fine” to the greeting “How are you?” But many in Liberia are tryin’ larger, thanks to microfinance institutions, many of which have set up shop since 14 years of civil conflict ended in 2003.
Continue Reading 4 May 2010 at 13:48 John Briggs 12 comments
A Balancing Act
By Karen Buxton, KF10, Liberia
For Kiva’s field partners to transition from being a ‘Pilot’ partner to an ‘Active’ partner, they must successfully pass a process Kiva calls Borrower Verification. Borrower Verification entails interviewing a random sample of 10 Kiva borrowers from the same field partner to ensure the information on the ground matches the information on Kiva’s website. To accomplish this, you must verify the identity of the borrower, the disbursement date, the loan amount, the loan term, the loan usage and the repayment information.
Continue Reading 15 April 2010 at 03:41 Karen Buxton 5 comments
D-Day in Liberia
In Liberia, D-Day is a regular occurrence. Disbursal Day, that is.
Microfinance is a key part of the post-conflict recovery, and LEAP, Kiva’s Liberian field partner, is at the forefront. LEAP (the Local Enterprise Assistance Program) is Liberia’s oldest continuously operating microfinance lender, and the largest by number of borrowers and amount lent.
Continue Reading 22 March 2010 at 09:12 John Briggs 8 comments
A Kiva Fellowship in Liberia
My first thought upon arrival in Monrovia, Liberia, in August 2009 for my Kiva Fellowship was, “Wow, such colors and amazing stories! I should make a movie for those who aren’t as lucky as I am to have this experience.”
So what you have here is just that: an attempt to bring everyone along with me on my amazing 3-month journey to understand, at the most basic-level, exactly how microfinance works and the social impact it has on both borrowers’ and lenders’ lives. The toughest part was keeping it short, ultimately eliminating over 7 hours of footage, to share my thoughts in just 9 minutes.
Of course, the best way to really experience this is to go be a Kiva Fellow, so don’t hesitate to follow the link at the end of the movie in order to be the change you want to see in the world!
From Borrower to Branch Manager
Cecilia Wilson was born in Grand Kru County, Liberia, in 1964. She graduated from Tubman High School in Monrovia when she was 18, and by the time she was 30 years old, she had two children and she found herself selling rice and oil on the sidewalk at a market just outside of Monrovia. With the goal of improving her business by moving it off of the sidewalk, Cecilia took out her first microloan of $50 USD from a newly established microfinance institution (MFI) in Monrovia called Local Enterprise Assistance Program (LEAP). She used the loan to purchase additional rice and oil to sell. That was 1994. Four years later Cecilia was hired as a loan officer at LEAP. In 2009, she was promoted to being the supervisor of all five loan officers at LEAP’s Harbel branch. And in January of 2010, Cecilia became the Branch Manager of the Harbel branch.
Continue Reading 10 March 2010 at 04:57 Karen Buxton 19 comments
Liberians United for Haiti
The Liberians United for Haiti Relief Concert took place last weekend at one of Monrovia’s large outdoor stadiums. “Please give to Haiti! We know what it is like to have nothing, so let us give to a country that has just been devastated,” cried the Master of Ceremonies. The boisterous crowd raised their hands and cheered in approval.
Continue Reading 16 February 2010 at 00:50 Karen Buxton 13 comments
Comparing Malaria Solutions
Artemisinin: an ancient malaria cure for 21st century Africa
Continue Reading 16 September 2009 at 16:54 DaveMcMurtry 7 comments
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…
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
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…)
