Posts filed under ‘Rwanda’
Amasezerano Community Bank: Success Through Understanding
By Caitlin Ross
KF13, Kigali, Rwanda
During my first day at Amasezerano Community Bank (ACB), I learned that “Amasezerano” is the Kinyarwanda word for “Promise”. After being here for just about a month now, I have to say that this word is a good fit for Kiva’s new partner MFI in Kigali, Rwanda.
Continue Reading 5 December 2010 at 04:45 caitlinross86 Leave a comment
Rwanda: Where the women are kind, the men are generous and everyone is just so nice
By Michelle Curtis, KF13, Rwanda
“Someone told me she loves me, just then…she told me that she loves me and I am so happy.” When an overjoyed stranger took his mobile from his ear and turned to find the first person to share his wonderful news with…there I was. Someone loved him and he had to let it out to the world. I gave him my congratulations, shook his hand and landed an encouraging pat on his back. He was beaming. So was I.
Adventures in East Africa
By Katie Morton, KF12, Yehu Microfinance Trust, Kenya
A perk of the Kiva Fellowship is having friends who live and work in diverse locations around the globe. This is the story of some KF12s that met up and the ridiculous adventure that ensued.
Continue Reading 1 November 2010 at 12:00 Katie Morton 3 comments
The High Cost of Higher Learning
Last week in Rwanda, the Ministry of Education (MOE) announced plans to cut its funding programs for university students in order to funnel that money into primary and secondary education. In a country where citizens have limited access to credit, even for income generating activities, the cancellation of these programs could mean a premature end to some students’ educational careers.
Poverty and Paroxysm: an International Day of Peace Post
The first news reports on BBC, CNN, and AP said that the bomb went off at 8:10 in the morning. I swear though, that I heard it at 8:04. Its not every day that a young American not serving in the armed forces hears an explosion as they gets ready for work, but for Kiva Fellows, this isn’t out of the realm of possibility.
Inauguration Day in Rwanda
Monday September 6th was a national holiday here in Rwanda as the nation celebrated the inauguration of President Paul Kagame for a second seven year term. Controversy aside, there is no denying that President Kagame gets results.
Continue Reading 15 September 2010 at 09:24 Yonnie Leave a comment
Child Savings Accounts
Austin Harris, KF11 Rwanda
Child Savings Accounts can provide security to children. They help ensure expenditures such as school fees, medical expenses, clothes and other child needs can be covered. Microfinance institutes (MFI’s) have been slow to create child savings accounts because they have been seen as prohibitively costly to administer. However, new methods of offering child savings accounts are being considered to make the accounts sustainable and possibly even beneficial for MFI’s. Urwego Opportunity Bank (UOB) in Rwanda recently conducted a survey to assess the reception to starting child savings accounts. Read of the responses, suggestions, and conclusions.
Continue Reading 15 August 2010 at 09:48 austinharris 1 comment
Sorghum Beer Recipe
Austin Harris, KF11 Rwanda
African sorghum beer is a brownish-pink beverage with a slightly tangy and sour taste that has an alcohol content between 1% and 8%. It is a part of the culture and an important source of income for many Africans. However movements to regulate this product bring into question if and how this product will remain a livelihood for the rural poor.
Continue Reading 3 August 2010 at 02:36 austinharris 1 comment
The Fellowship that wasn’t
By Ron Turley KF11.5
I see that Kiva has begun to recognise those of us who are/have been fellows. On our lenders page, we have a distinctive Kiva “K” on our pictures, links to Kiva Fellow blogs we have posted and the name of the country and MFI with which we worked.
This is very embarrassing for me as I feel I did not earn any of it.
Regulation in Microfinance: Advantages and Drawbacks
Austin Harris, KF11 Rwanda
Recent fraud in Rwanda highlights the need for regulation of the microfinance industry. Regulation serves to protect the customer and ensure the soundness of financial markets. Microfinance regulation, however, can be a complex and costly process. Though these rules and supervision of the industry have their evident advantages, they may also increase the cost of borrowing and impede microfinance services to the poor. The advantages of regulation also have their notable drawbacks.
Continue Reading 16 July 2010 at 02:55 austinharris 2 comments
A Case of Multiple Borrowings
Austin Harris, KF11 Rwanda
In a city in eastern Rwanda, two Microfinance banks established branches within months of each other. Shortly after both banks began operations, the delinquencies and defaults grew to abnormally high levels. After investigation, one bank discovered many of its clients were borrowing from its competitor at the same time. Incidents of multiple borrowing have had detrimental effects on these branches and for the microfinance industry in general. As the industry grows and competition rises, these incidents grow in number and have become a challenge for microfinance institutes.
Continue Reading 7 July 2010 at 00:31 austinharris 8 comments
World Cup Reports from Kiva Fellows Around the World
Kiva Fellows share their World Cup experiences from Mongolia, Rwanda, Mexico, Bolivia, Togo, Sri Lanka, Chile and Kyrgyzstan
Continue Reading 29 June 2010 at 22:56 Kevin Henderson 3 comments
Kigali here I come
By Ron Turley KF11.5
Last week my departure date was June 28th. Now it’s Monday that I will be off to Kigali Rwanda to work with Vision Finance Company (VFC). (more…)
Genocide Memorial Helps Unify a Microfinance Institute and a People
In 1994, over the course of 100 days, a mass killing of an estimated 800,000 people in Rwanda took place. After the genocide Rwandans have attempted reintegration of its people into society. Although memories of the genocide are still painful, Rwanda has chosen to memorialize many of the sites where killings took place. The Nyamata Genocide Memorial served to unite a microfinance institute, both as staff and as a Rwandan people.
Continue Reading 25 May 2010 at 00:53 austinharris 4 comments
The Road Ahead for Kiva and Urwego Opportunity Bank in Rwanda
Urwego Opportunity Bank (UOB) is a new Kiva partner, however it has not created any Kiva loans to date. Improved information systems and new loan products should change this soon. There is great promise for UOB to expand with Kiva loans and eventually become an active Kiva partner.
Continue Reading 10 May 2010 at 02:47 austinharris 3 comments
A Walk to Remember
This afternoon I walked the streets of Kigali with thousands and thousands of people, united to commemorate 16 years since the start of Rwanda’s genocide. In 1994, the very road we walked on was systematically transformed into a terrifying assembly of roadblocks, violence and murder. The entire country was engulfed, and 100 days later approximately 800,000 people were dead, with millions more terrorized and displaced. In light of such a massive tragedy, I expected the official commemoration to be an emotional and sombre event, and was surprised that the tone was fairly uplifted.
Dear World….
Some people don’t like airports/train stations/bus stations but I do. I like those few moments in between where you’ve been, and where you are going. The fact you actually get a chance to reflect. I’m in a queue at the airport. Here are my thoughts.
Mobile Banking at the Bank for All
Instructions: Start with a plain white van. Insert several computers. Connect to a power supply as well as a backup power supply. Build connection to a central network. Apply a splashy paint job and finish with enthusiastic staff. Result: A bank on wheels.
Pains and pleasures of Kiva’s P2P principles
By Claude Mansell, KF10, Rwanda
Kiva is pushing the limits of P2P microfinance lending. It already is the most transparent peer-to-peer platform connecting lenders and borrowers around the globe. Yet until February 1 lenders were receiving all of their money back, whether a borrower fully repaid his loan or went into default. Kiva’s local microfinance partners tended to guarantee full repayment. This “cushion” shielding the lender from the harsh economic reality has now been removed by Kiva, in an audacious move to bring lenders closer to the borrowers’ real life. Will lenders be confronted with massive losses? How will the partner Microfinance Institutions react to this policy change? Does the policy change actually bring lenders closer to borrowers, in an emotional and economic sense?
My gut feel says that Kiva’s Microfinance Partners will do their utmost best to minimize default rates on the Kiva loans. Have they not, in the previous years, voluntarily guaranteed full repayment and carried the credit risk, only to be an attractive partner for Kiva and its lenders? Also, now that the MFI’s do not need to write off on Kiva loans, the benefits of having loans funded by Kiva only get larger. Would they want to jeopardize the interest- and risk-free funding by Kiva by a bad repayment performance? Surely not!
I tested this assumption on my visits to branch offices of Vision Finance Company (VFC) in Rwanda. The statement of Semahoro Evariste, branch manager in Kanazi, 30 km from Rwanda’s capital Kigali, reflects their position well:
“If there is a risk, it is not more than 5%“, “We will do everything possible to get full reimbursement”, and he concluded by saying: “I want to thank those who provide credits for our clients, it is really very interesting, we will do everything to be Kiva’s extension in the field”.
What could be the worst case scenario for Kiva and its lenders? At VFC, the Portfolio at Risk (PAR 30) is 7,3%. PAR 30 is a conservative measure for payments at risk. Using this measure, lenders run a risk of 7,3% when lending to customers of VFC. Of course, this is an average. In the worst case one lends to this one person who happens not to repay at all. So, as in all other investments, it makes sense to spread the risk through a well balanced portfolio of Kiva loans!
Then what about the emotional and social side of this new policy. Would you, as lender, rather be living under the rosy yet unreal assumption that all Kiva borrowers fully and unconditionally repay their loans (contrary to what we see happening in all other credit markets), or do you want to feel the dust, sweat, draughts, heat or bitter cold that comes along with your borrower’s effort to pay you back?
Not Your Average Courtroom Drama
The atmosphere was tense. All eyes were on the defendant, a small woman in her mid-thirties. She rose from her seat and softly explained her final argument– I know now that I’m guilty. I should have paid on time, but my children were sick. I had to take them to the hospital and could not be home when it was time to make the payments. I’m sorry I didn’t explain this to you sooner, but I didn’t realize how much this matters to the group. She slunk back into her chair, and the jury began to deliberate.
My Rwandan Children (a happy ending)
Gavin Sword KF9, Rwanda
Children are adaptable – this is what I have learned since my first post on our kids’ experience in Rwanda. Christian and Savilla are different people than when we arrived and they have become accustomed to life in Rwanda. Cold baths are met with resignation if not acceptance. They now get excited when they see bugs and like to pick them up and give them names. And the mosquito nets are cool now, like a special fort (for my son) or a princess’ veil (for my daughter). This was NOT how they were in our first few weeks here. It is time for them to fly home next week and they are genuinely sad to know this.
No longer are they seen as outsiders – they have been accepted as Rwandans who just don’t speak the language that well. It seems young children communicate mostly through playing, singing and pretending. To be sure, our children are not totally ‘locals’ – there are different socioeconomic levels here in Rwanda – more pronounced than in the West by far. But in their own milieu they are fitting in with ease. It is wonderful to see.
The World’s Most Dangerous Job
Gavin Sword KF9 Rwanda
There is a TV show that profiles treacherous jobs around the world, the episode i recall was one about Alaskan King Crab Fishermen. These brave men (typically) work night and day in stormy seas on slippery decks in frigid waters. The ships are rocking violently with waves crashing over the decks – death just a misstep away.
Here in Rwanda on my drive to work each day, I see women who are employed as Street Sweepers doing a job that rivals the dangers faced by the men on these Alaskan ships. Working from dawn til dusk, these intrepid souls stand ON THE HIGHWAY with cars zooming past at 50+ miles per hour, sweeping the debris and dust from the road with meticulous care. There are no pylons or barriers, no “Caution” signs, no “Slow Down – Sweepers at Work” signs.
Country Music…in Africa
By Gavin Sword, KF9 Rwanda
The music of Africa conjures images of native dancers and handmade instruments – the drums, rhythms and dancing are mythical. Knowing I was coming to Africa, I was so looking forward to hearing the native music of Rwanda. Music is one of the purest ways I know to experience and appreciate new cultures and connect with people.
During my time here, I have had a few occasions of hearing the native music of Rwanda and it was wonderful. A church service and wedding ceremony I attended with traditional dance and songs were particularly memorable. However, at my MFI, the radio plays pretty much all day long on the computer of my officemate and the thing is, it’s not African music at all. This gentleman has a penchant for country music – and the truth is his brand of music has really gotten me hooked. (more…)
Kiva and Empowerment
Gavin Sword KF9
I read with great interest the very thoughtful blog by David Roodman: as well as the more sensational New York Times article about Kiva’s loan disbursement disclosure issues. I agree that Kiva could have done a better job of explaining the nuanced realities of fund disbursement on its website. And I think that insightful blogs aimed at holding Kiva accountable are useful and will serve to strengthen the organization. But beneath all the controversy, for many, I think a line blurred between connecting to an individual and controlling an outcome.
As lenders we like to think we are really making a difference in someone’s life and we are…but it’s complicated and it actually bumps up against something we all value greatly about Kiva: Empowerment. For three key stakeholders: lenders, borrowers and MFI’s – empowerment is key.
My Rwandan Children…
By Gavin Sword KF9 Rwanda
I know this is not the first time that I’ve mentioned that my children are Rwandan. We adopted Savilla and Christian in 2006 when they were both babies. Our girl turns 4 this month while our boy is a few months past 4. They are the cutest, most adorable little people one could ever hope to know. They are loving and friendly, kind to each other and to the people they meet. Part of the reason I wanted to come to Rwanda as a Kiva Fellow was so that they could have the opportunity to spend time in the country of their birth. To give them a chance to learn the language, make Rwandan friends and live in a land of people who look just like them (not the case in our current home, Vancouver, Canada). Our thinking was not that they would necessarily fully remember the experience, but that it could inform their identity and give them a sense of belonging. Well, this was the idea anyway. (more…)
No More Genocide
By Gavin Sword, KF9 Rwanda
It is true that internationally, Rwanda is most known for the horrific events of 1994; a genocide that claimed the lives of more than 800,000 of its people. There is no satisfactory way to comprehend what happened here. Yet as a testament to the human spirit – life in Rwanda carries on. (more…)
Stop Thief! (…too late)
There’s nothing like having your laptop, computer bag, digital camera ,that little flip video thing that Kiva provides, as well as my zip drive and wireless modem from Rwandatel (that took a good ½ day to get configured at no small cost I might add) and even a brand new electric water heater for desperately needed morning coffees to put a bump in one’s day. I have traveled for many years and I took all the normal precautions, which made this experience all the more frustrating. Details aside, I’m pleased to say that I didn’t curse, cry or condemn. Here’s how I (came to) see it…
(more…)
Rainbow Over Kigali
Rainbow Over Kigali
By Gavin Sword, KF9 Rwanda
It is no secret that the rainbow is a harbinger of good things ahead. This photo is a view of Rwanda’ capital city, Kigali after a brief rain spell. On my very first day here, a rainbow was a happy sight indeed.. (more…)
Kiva Fellows in DeNile
By Jaclyn Berfond, Laura Buhler, Alison Carlman, Joel Carlman and Cameron Morris
Last weekend the East African Kiva Fellows delegation descended upon the bustling streets of Kampala, Uganda and the banks of the Nile River for two days of intense knowledge transfer and mild revelry. We spent hours discussing the importance of data validity in performing operational cost analyses and tried to debunk the myth that OpenOffice does not properly save .csv files for uploading repayment information to PA2. We also had a little fun. We left Kampala feeling refreshed and full of ideas to take back to our MFIs.
Now it’s your turn. We are officially issuing a challenge to the other regions (LAC, Asia, Western Africa and Eastern Europe) to prove that you are as united and have as much regional spirit as the East Africans. Excuses will not be tolerated. As Kiva Fellows this is a challenge you should be ready to take on. We did it, so can you. We also made an amazing video documenting our adventure. Check it out!
Jaclyn, Laura, Alison, Joel and Cameron are Kiva Fellows spread out over the East African Region. To read more about their experiences and their MFIs click on their names above.
PAX RWANDA
I am sure that many of you have read of the horrors that occurred here in Rwanda almost exactly 15 years ago, but few of us can actually envision the magnitude of such tragedy and its consequences on a society.
Upon arrival in Rwanda I have noticed many hindrances to development and I have generated a lot of criticism for the country’s economic goals etc. But my first visit to a genocide memorial changed my perspective on the place. Rather, it reminded me of the individuals that make up Rwandan society, and how truly extraordinary it is that they have managed to create a peaceful and functioning Rwanda after their experiences 15 years ago.
At Nyamata, a town about an hour south of Kigali, the capital, I was taken through a Roman Catholic church where 10,000 people were slaughtered and dismembered in the most unthinkable ways. These crimes were personal… each person was slain with deliberation and intent. Many were spectacles, butchered in front of their families and peers, killed on the church alter as the entire crowd was forced to watch. My guide, 23 year old Benoit, was there to see it all. (more…)
