So, here are 5 lessons learned and my Top Ten Favorites from my time in the Central America.
... Continue Reading >>
By Rose Larsen, KF19 Colombia, with excerpts provided by Wesley Schrock, KF19 Honduras, and Luan Nio, KF18 Nicaragua/KF19 United States
Loan officers are the hidden heroes behind the Kiva model.
Lenders, borrowers, Kiva staff and Kiva fellows all show their beautiful faces somewhere on Kiva.org, and while Kiva’s field partners have profiles of their own, there is little explanation or clarity behind who actually, physically, goes to the clients’ businesses, evaluates their requests, delivers loans and picks up repayments (hint: it’s loan officers!)....
Continue Reading >>By Kiva Fellows | KF19 | All Over the World
A Happy Holidays to the Kiva family everywhere! May your celebrations be filled with foods and flavor, smiling faces, natural beauty, light and memories… here are some gifts from around the world courtesy of the Kiva Fellows 19th class:
On the Twelve Days of Christmas my Kiva Fellow gave to me…Day 1: A Turtle Heading Out to...
Continue Reading >>With few exceptions, Kiva borrowers have greeted my visits to their homes and businesses with the sentiment captured in the blog title, that is to say with skepticism and unease. Visits can start awkwardly and end awkwardly. But sometimes they inspire; borrowers graciously share their story – their successes and struggles, their hopes and fears – with a complete stranger...
Continue Reading >>Compiled by David Gorgani | KF17 | Dominican Republic
This week’s stories from the field span topics ranging from ill-equipped law enforcement to the “luxurious” living places of Kiva Fellows. Two of this week’s posts – “Lost in Translation” and “Home is Where the Fellow Is” – compile material from Fellows around the world to give some insight to the...
Continue Reading >>Compiled by David Gorgani | KF17 | Dominican Republic
As our fellowships wind down and as the first batch of KF17 fellows packs up to head home, the time has arrived to reflect on our experiences in the field and on the realities faced on a daily basis by the people living in the countries in which we’ve spent the past 3-4 months. Whether discussing religious beliefs, economic circumstances, history, or simply...
Continue Reading >>Compiled by Chris Paci | KF16 & KF17 | Ukraine
It’s been a busy week here on Kiva Stories from the Field! Most of our KF17 fellows have been in the field for two months by this point, and they’ve been drawing on their wealth of on-the-ground experience to unpack some of the more complex and troubling aspects of life in their host societies. In a series of fascinating posts, our...
Continue Reading >>A long time has passed between my first post (An ordinary borrowers visit: The reality of microfinance) and this one — partially because I have been working very long hours and spending a lot of time on the road, but mainly because my laptop died. Those who have worked in the field know what a huge problem this is, especially when you need the Internet to do your job. I can’t believe I’ve lived without a computer for three weeks!
But I’m not here to talk about my problems. Instead, I’d like to tell you a story.
... Continue Reading >>Santiago Cortes | KF 17 | Honduras
I’ve just arrived in Tegucigalpa after my first trip to one of Kiva field partner Prisma‘s branches. I left Prisma’s headquarters on Wednesday on the back of a pick-up and drove to Danli, home to the nearest branch. My main goal with this visit was to test some policies I want to implement across Prisma. I hope to change all the processes related with Kiva, so I used this branch as a sort of “pilot branch.”
I didn’t know what to expect, Honduras being one of the most dangerous countries in the...
Continue Reading >>Compiled by Kate Bennett, KF16 Peru
The sixteenth class of Kiva Fellows has all but left the field- but we’re by no means done talking about our experiences. We’ve collectively spent 422 weeks in the field (just over 8 years!) and worked an estimated 16,650 hours at Kiva field partners around the world. Needless to say, we’ve got a lot of...
Continue Reading >>