Posts filed under 'Kiva Field Partners'
Funky Cheese
By Zal Bilimoria, KF9, Ecuador
Ecuadorian cheese tastes a bit different if one is not accustomed to eating it. Cheese is not necessarily the most common ingredient in local fare, as the staple for most meals is rice, plantains and beans served with beef, chicken or some other type of meat. However, it’s unmistakeable when you take that first bite of pizza, pasta or ham and cheese sandwich…especially if it hasn’t been refrigerated properly due to the energy crisis sweeping the country.
Mote (Corn) with Egg and Cheese
This is typically the dry season for much of Ecuador, but for the past two years, it has rained just enough to support the energy demands of the country, which hinge on the Paute hydroelectric dam south of Cuenca. Unfortunately, the presidential administration and the energy department decided to forgo plans to build additional hydroelectric installations and bet Ecuador’s future on their belief that rain would come once again for a third year in a row. However, here in Cuenca just 100 miles north of the dam, clear blue skies and record high temperatures suggest that pending rainfall is but a dream. Paute needs to operate at roughly 70% efficiency in order to satisfy domestic demand; at the present time, the most it can muster is 35%.
4 comments 16 November 2009
On the Road
By Nick Malouin, KF9, Togo
There’s something about traveling at high speeds in Africa that allows the mind to open up and do its best thinking. Maybe with the pot holes and daily frustrations left behind the brain can finally concentrate on something else. I had such an experience on a recent weekend trip to Lomé. Traveling at 60km/h, I had two hours to take in the beautiful scenery between Kpalimé and Lomé. The villages, usually a cacophony of noise and activity, had the brief illusion of serenity.
I started thinking about earlier that day when I met a client selling motor oil on the side of the road. His stand had looked like every other motor oil stand in Kpalimé and you might think for a second that it was part of a chain. The fact is though with only certain inputs available (wood boards) and zero money to invest, all merchant stands, whether selling vegetables, pagne or motor oil, look exactly the same. I started wondering if a little training could go a long way; if a quick lesson on product differentiation, branding and marketing strategy, along with financial planning, could turn this motor oil stand into the next Jiffy Lube.
Nassirou Ouro-Couloum, Kiva Client
6 comments 16 November 2009
Phonecards and Peanuts: Looking at Micro-finance through the Macro Lens
Ilmari Soininen
KF9 UIMCEC Dakar, Senegal
Topping up one’s phone credit is never a problem in Dakar – on every street corner you will find one, or usually three or four young men hawking the same exact Orange Telecom cards. They offer the exact same cards, in the exact same spot, at the exact same time. Peanut vendors are equally ubiquitous, often stationed only a feet away from each other, selling the same peanuts, in the same 50 Franc increments.
These vendors often rarely have many other avenues for generating income. Many come from the countryside, where subsistence farming is usually the one and only option. They prefer the hustle and bustle of the city. They prefer the 500, 1000 or even 2000 CFCA (between US$ 1-4) they can make a day. Who can blame them.
But when you add up all of the thousands of phonecard, peanut (cigarette, tissue, fruit …) vendors, you begin to see why this country, and indeed many of its neighbors, are still so poor. (more…)
10 comments 15 November 2009
A welcomed visitor in Guatemala, but just a visitor
By Jeremy Lapedis, KF9, Guatemala
I am the visitor. I am from Kiva. I am Jeremias. This has been my introduction for my first days in Guatemala.
Tueseday, we went to San Martin. It is a two hour drive from Guatemala City: thankfully it was Marco and not me who was driving so I could observe the scenery as we passed through beautiful rolling hills covered in forests. In the distance we could see small peaks, and each one was covered in trees.
Once we arrived, we were greeted by Bertha Carmelina Tohon, who just finished fundraising on Kiva. She gave 
us a warm welcome and insisted that we have tea before we leave her comedor (eatery). She not shy to share her life story. I quickly learned that her kids attending college, one studying psychology and the other chemistry. I learned that she thought the Guatemalan school system did not teach the children anything practical, and that she has a typing school where kids learn using typewriters. I learned that she was hard working: “There is time to rest when you die,” she said.
But not all of our visits on this day would be this happy. (more…)
6 comments 14 November 2009
The Local Local Lifestyle
Rebecca Corey, KF9 Tanzania
The first time I got shoved 
out of the way in a mad rush to the dala-dala bus, my friend Victor said to me, “This is the local local lifestyle, pole sana–I’m very sorry.” The next time he said it was when the electricity went out and I was reading in the living room. “This is the local local, pole dada–sorry sister.” Then again when I had Malaria: “The Tanzania local local, pole sana, pole sana.” In the streets, when Tanzanians are shouting to me, “Mchina, mchina!” Chinese person, chinese person! : “They are local local, they cannot tell you are Korean. Pole.” And every time, he smiles his big smile, apologetic, almost wistful, partly amused, always sincere.
I have also started to think to myself, “local local,” several times each day. We haven’t had water for the past eight days because of a broken water pump, so we fetch bucketfuls from next door. Tanzania is suffering from a major power crisis, so electricity is rationed. Ours goes out for a full day once every three days. I get up at five every morning to catch the dala-dala before the major traffic jams so I can get to work by eight. I see one bus that says on the back, “Don’t Hide, Just Pay,” another claims “Jesus is Power,” and a third “Blootooth On.” “Local local,” I think. (more…)
10 comments 14 November 2009
“Not Real Men…”
Me and the other Africa-based Kiva Fellows (photo provided by John Briggs)
By Taylor Akin, KF9, Togo
In the months of preparation leading up to my Kiva Fellowship in Lomé, Togo I have had plenty of opportunity to practice my take on the taxicab test – a concise explanation of Kiva’s mission and the work of a Kiva Fellow. Upon completing my training at Kiva Headquarters in San Francisco, I felt confident in my ability to accurately explain Kiva’s approach to microfinance to a relatively neutral audience. More often than not, I encountered the disinterested but common eyes-glazed-over look immediately following the words “non-profit.” To be sure, anyone who has ever gone to the developing world to do anything other than build schools has faced this problem.
While we learned the many ways in which to defend Kiva, there was one area where our taxicab test fell short: defending our host countries. It had not really occurred to me that I would be put in the position of having to justify a five-month trip to the continent of Africa. Yet, I rarely got beyond “I’m going to Togo” before being hit with a surprising amount of ignorance, miseducation, and prejudice.
At first, the most common responses seemed innocent enough. They generally fell along the lines of cautionary warnings like “be careful,” “watch out for the lions,” and “it’s not safe there like it is here.” At other times, comedy was the vessel through which this prejudice was revealed. One co-worker recently asked me when I leave “for the jungle to visit Tarzan” despite my repeated explanations that I’ll be based in a bustling capital city. Finally, there are the truly shocking remarks. About a week ago, a co-worker warned me to “be careful in Africa because the people there are like animals, not real men.”
(more…)
6 comments 13 November 2009
I Work In Microfinance Because…
By Mohammed Al-Shawaf, KF9 Palestine
Recently, Kiva’s been engulfed in controversy over how it presents its Person-to-Person lending platform–a convenient shorthand for the reality on the ground or a more draconian attempt to mislead the casual lender? I will not weigh in on this specific debate because there is already a rich dialogue that has taken place. However, I have noticed that a theme in some of the posts and responses has been to lament the limitations of P2P lending today.
In this equation, the microfinance institutions (MFIs) servicing the loans have been regarded as indispensable, but still undesirable middlemen between Kiva lenders and borrowers. I can’t fault that view. On the Kiva website, MFIs have partner pages that explain their missions. But Kiva, above all, is a place that connects people and only in borrower and lender profiles can you learn what motivates individuals to engage in microfinance.
With that in mind, I asked employees at Ryada, the MFI I’m working with in Palestine, to finish the following prompt: I work in microfinance because…
2 comments 13 November 2009
Transparency: Not Just for Lenders
By Maia Pelleg, KF9, Kenya Agency for the Development of Enterprise and Technology (KADET)
This video was filmed in response to the following interaction I had with a borrower group outside of Nairobi, Kenya…
“Habari. Nina itwa Maia,” I practice saying as I walk into my first group meeting of the day. A KADET credit officer named Gachi,and I are visiting Kiva borrowers living in Kamae, a slum-like area filled with tin huts and roads littered with garbage and roaming animals. Almost all Kiva borrowers here lack formal education and exposure to English, and I wanted to make sure that I could at least introduce myself in their language. I take my seat on a long sturdy bench and face a group of 12 borrowers sitting in four straight rows before me. With perfect posture, the borrowers stare earnestly at Gachi, waiting for an explanation as to why a mzungu (white person) is joining their meeting.
A round of introductions begins, translated by Gachi, and I learn that the group’s name is Kihatu, meaning broom. When they hear their group name announced to me, every single borrower’s face breaks into a proud grin. Until now, the groups I have met have names that translate to English words like lion, opportunity, and faith. Puzzled by this self-designated title, I ask for insight into this choice. A willowy woman with a strong, clear voice responds and Gachi translates, “This is the first loan cycle for all of us in this group,” she says, “and each of us is looking to sweep away the problems of our past and the problems of luck. We are no longer going to depend on luck, but on ourselves.”
20 comments 13 November 2009
YOSEFO Day 2009
By Jennifer Gong, KF9 Tanzania
YOSEFO has come a long way. In 1997, it humbly opened its doors to 50 clients, for a total loan portfolio size of $5000. However, with unwavering determination, it has succesfully expanded into 14 different communities around Dar es Salaam and has opened offices in Ifakara, Zanzibar, Kilwa and Tanga. Today, YOSEFO can proudly claim to serve over 11,000 active clients and has seen its loan portfolio increase to $1.5m. This is definitely something to celebrate about, and celebrate we did! To mark 12 successful years of serving Tanzania, my MFI decided to organize YOSEFO Day 2009.
The purpose of the celebration was not only about rejoicing, it was also about recognition. It was about acknowledging the outstanding clients and staff members that have played a significant role in making the past dozen years successful. Recognition is important because the sweat and tears of both clients and staff often go unnoticed. Furthermore, the showcasing of successful stories will hopefully create a competitive spirit that will drive everyone to strive for more.
Here are some highlights of YOSEFO Day 2009… (more…)
4 comments 13 November 2009
The Savings behind the Interest
By Eva Wu, KF9 Philippines
Having followed the recent debate over Kiva’s transparency and the P2P model, the main critique that stuck with me was that there should be more transparency on Kiva’s partner MFIs. This resonated with me because I believe that Kiva has, on the whole, picked out partner MFIs that do amazing work and have really compelling stories to tell about their organization. So in that spirit, I’ve decided to share more details here about some of the products and services that my host MFI, Hagdan sa Pag-uswag Foundation, Inc. offers. In addition to lending, Hagdan also offers a mandatory savings program, optional insurance programs, and leadership/business trainings. Hagdan also runs community development programs out of a different part of the organization.
Before I dive into those services though, I want to devote this post to HSPFI’s interest repayment policy. Over the last six weeks I’ve realized that my understanding of the details is sadly lacking. So one weekend when I was in the office, I grabbed Sir Melchie Badion, HSPFI Internal Auditor, and asked him for a detailed rundown. Knowing that interest payments cover much of an MFI’s operational costs, I wanted to make sure I had everything straight in my head from start to end.
8 comments 12 November 2009
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