Posts filed under ‘Mongolia’
Update from the Field: Earth Day, Celebrations + Exceeding Expectations
Compiled by Alexis Ditkowsky
Kiva Fellows observed Earth Day by sharing projects initiated by their partner microfinance institutions and host countries and by celebrating Kiva.org’s first batch of “Green Loans”. The upbeat mood also extended to anniversary parties at MFIs in Jordan and Armenia, enthusiastic endorsements to travel to Colombia, and reporting on a great opportunity for Kiva clients in Mongolia. Fellows also visited with borrowers in the Philippines, South Africa, and Armenia, and took us on a typical commute in Mexico City. All in all, a very busy week as members of KF14 wind down their time in the field.
Continue Reading 25 April 2011 at 02:45 Alexis Ditkowsky 4 comments
Additional XacBank Kiva borrowers eligible for interest rebates in savings accounts
As you may know, since August 2009, XacBank has offered Kiva borrowers an incentive to pay their loan principal and interest back on time – an interest rebate in a savings account! If a Kiva borrower pays back on time, then XacBank deposits 9 percent of the interest the borrower has paid on their loan into a savings account. As a Kiva Fellow, I have worked with XacBank to update their policies regarding how Kiva borrowers are considered eligible for interest rebates and simplify how the MFI offers the savings accounts to new Kiva borrowers.
Mongolian Tugrug (MNT)
Update from the Field: Social Quirks, Justin Bieber + Lots of Carbs
Compiled by Alexis Ditkowsky, KF14, South Africa
While it may have been a slower “official” news week than usual, I can assure you that the Fellows are keeping busy. One Fellow spent hours searching fruitlessly for borrowers in the jungle, another has been suffering from serious gastrointestinal issues (aren’t you glad he didn’t post about that?), and the rest of us have been plotting something very special for the end of the week. In the meantime, you can catch up on social quirks in Rwanda, transportation in West Timor, the importance of corn in Guatemala, and the latest from Mongolia all while taking a look at photos from South Africa. Enjoy!
Continue Reading 28 March 2011 at 03:58 Alexis Ditkowsky 6 comments
A field partner grows from the pilot to active stage
Congratulations to Credit Mongol! This Kiva field partner in Mongolia recently achieved active status on the Kiva website. As you may well know, Kiva partners with microfinance institutions (MFIs), like Credit Mongol, in countries across the globe, reaching hundreds of thousands of entrepreneurs. These partnerships are what make Kiva possible on a large scale.
Kiva Fellow and Credit Mongol Kiva staff
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
Happy Lunar New Year! How local traditions affect the business cycle
Happy Lunar New Year! Сар шинэдээ сайхан шинэлээрэй, as we say in Mongolian. Today, the countries and communities across the world who traditionally follow the lunar calendar are celebrating the first day of the New Year! Boy! – Microloan demands sure have been high lately. The need for loans center around traditional activities practiced for the Lunar New Year holiday.
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!
The Forgotten Half of Microfinance Not Forgotten at XacBank
“What is microfinance?” I’ve been asked this question a lot during my time as a Kiva Fellow. I used to answer by saying “microfinance is extending credit to people who do not have access to the traditional financial system” then remembering Kiva Fellows training I would add, “but not just credit, it’s providing other financial services, too.”
Continue Reading 6 July 2010 at 00:56 Kevin Henderson 6 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
Summer Arrives in Mongolia: An Update on the Dzud Crisis
On Tuesday evening the atmosphere in Ulaanbaatar felt festive. It was Women and Children’s Day, offices had been closed all day and the weather had been sunny and unusually warm, reaching a high of 30 degrees Celsius. Even at 10pm, the streets were full of people chatting and strolling about.
It seemed like everyone was in a good mood, but I knew that many Mongolians, particularly those outside of the capital city, were likely not feeling very carefree. I’d just arrived back in the city after using the holiday weekend to travel to the countryside and see some of the spectacular scenery for which Mongolia is renowned. The vast steppes took my breath away. So did valleys full of decaying animal carcasses.
Continue Reading 6 June 2010 at 04:51 Kevin Henderson 7 comments
Client Appreciation Day At Credit Mongol
Last week, Credit Mongol, one of Kiva’s two field partners in Mongolia, honored its top 50 clients at an annual appreciation event. The busy agenda included a presentation by Credit Mongol’s management team, a business education lecture and an awards ceremony. I was fortunate to attend this year’s event and gain a more informed perspective on Credit Mongol’s clients and its business.
Continue Reading 19 May 2010 at 00:08 Kevin Henderson 3 comments
The Mongolian Wolf
Mongolia’s economy is shifting gears in a big way.
Continue Reading 28 April 2010 at 23:09 Kevin Henderson 6 comments
Mongolian Gers
Currently on Kiva.org there are almost 100 loans looking for funding for personal housing expenses. The purchase of a home, and the subsequent improvements, is one of the largest household expenditure items in almost any country.
Continue Reading 27 April 2010 at 00:30 Beth Ritchey 6 comments
Mongolia’s Lunar New Year
Often on the Kiva website, lenders will see entrepreneurs looking to borrow money to stock their business shelves for an upcoming holiday. In the United States we see retailers plan for the Christmas shopping season, in Central and South America businesses prepare for Carnaval sales and in Mongolia one of the biggest holidays that small businesses look forward to is Tsagaan Sar, the Lunar New Year.
Continue Reading 21 April 2010 at 23:57 Beth Ritchey 3 comments
Kiva’s newest partner in Mongolia – Credit Mongol
Please give a warm Kiva welcome to our newest partner in Mongolia: Credit Mongol LLC! Credit Mongol (CM) is based in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, and is Kiva’s second partner in Mongolia. Credit Mongol is excited about this new partnership with Kiva and is looking forward to building connections between the Kiva lending community and borrowers in Mongolia!
Continue Reading 16 April 2010 at 00:25 Beth Ritchey 7 comments
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.
Earth Hour comes to Mongolia!
“On March 27, 2010, an estimated one billion people around the world came together to call for action on climate change by doing something quite simple—turning off their lights for just one hour—Earth Hour.” Starting at 8:30pm in New Zealand and following the setting sun around the world, Earth Hour asked people to turn off their lights for one hour, adding up to a global 24 hours without lights. Internationally recognizable monuments like the Eiffel Tower, Empire State Building, the Golden Gate Bridge, even the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Brazil slipped into darkness for an hour on the 27th for the cause. The excitement and enthusiasm for Earth Hour even made its way to Mongolia!
Continue Reading 29 March 2010 at 23:45 Beth Ritchey 1 comment
Mongolia goes green!!!
Yes, it might be the dead of winter in Mongolia, with temperatures hovering around -30 degrees Fahrenheit, but the loan products here have been turning green. Thanks to the hard work of the Eco Products Team at XacBank in Mongolia, Kiva lenders saw an introduction of 3 new types of personal consumption ‘green loans’ in December 2009:
Energy Efficient Stoves
Ger (yurt) covers
Energy efficient fuel
Continue Reading 23 February 2010 at 01:35 Beth Ritchey 24 comments
Journals and Journeys
By Jane Lim, KF9 Mongolia
I am convinced that my borrower videos have been lost in the abyss which is the Kiva journal tab (it currently has 5224 unsearchable pages), so I had to find another platform for their airing. I.e., here!
Posting a video journal entry takes a considerable amount of work, and I thought I would lay the process out here so they will be more appreciated 
(I have also inserted one of my video journals here rather than below to pique your interest, so please click the “read more” button after you’re done watching!)
