Lending to Julia

How could I not lend to someone with my name? Julia Mercedes is in the Dominican Rebublic and she is only asking for $300 to expand her business.

Donating hair for children's wigs of cancer patients

My niece is shaving her head this weekend, to donate her hair to make wigs for children who have cancer, and can't afford wigs. She is also raising funds to help cure cancer.

Feel free to donate and encourage her in her philanthropic ways.

Shave your lid to help a kid.

Mexico loans are moving fast

I looked at the Mexican loans today, and then went back to Kiva about an hour later and they were all funded. There were a few new Mexican loans. I choose this one, to lend to Verionica Diaz Diaz Veronica is part of Clouds Group 7, and wants her loan to purchase fabric to make embroidered clothes.

Juicing in Mexico

I used my second Kiva credit on this loan to Andrea. She has only had her business for 2 months so this may be her first loan. She sells shakes and natural juices, the sort of stuff I LOVE. Acuna's a bit far to go though.

quick loans

Last night I was hanging with the husband and did a quick Kiva search and found some Honduras loans. Three new loans to Honduras. Maria Alicia Funez wants $500 for her tortilla business. Gertrudis Garcia wants to expand his neighbourhood store, and Blanca Luz Montoya wants $200 for her small store.

Anysoldier.com

I honor of Memorial Day Weekend I made a donation to anysoldier.com, and bought a magnet for my car. You can support the troops without supporting the war.

I am very impressed with Anysoldier.com. I donated money to them so they could set up non-profit organization, and now they are very professional and do great service. A true grassroots company built from caring people.

If only we could stop the wars.

This loan is taking a while

It was posted on the Kiva boards (thanks Micheal) that this guy was taking a long time to get funded. So I jumped in on his loan. Ayaz Memmedov is looking for funds to buy more produce for his stand. Produce is good.

Using my first Kiva credit

I got my first Kiva credit from a repaid loan. It was to a lady in Honduras, and one of my first loans. Its a bit sad to see it over. I hope she borrows again and I get in on it.

I used my credit to lend to EMMA ESPERANZA LOPEZ in Mexico. She wants to open a restaurant.

Guatemala

I finally got in on a loan to Guatemala. Rosa Toma Sambrano wants $500 to build a display stand so she can sell her stuff. She now sells outside her home.

I'm sitting here wearing Guatemalan pants, looking at my Guatemalan purses and quilts and wall hangings (I came back with a suitcase full of things when I was there last October), and wishing I could order stuff from Rosa.

New (to me) Kiva country - Sierra Leone

I finally got in on a loan to Sierra Leone, but I had to get up early to do it! A.M. Kamara is looking for $1200 to expand his business.

I am meeting with several people next month, including someone from Sierra Leone. So now I have an easy way to bring up Kiva. "I was thinking about you the other day while I was making a Kiva loan to your country..."

To the Wal-Mart board of directors

I just wrote a quick note to the Wal-Mart Board of directors. They are meeting next week. I am joining thousands of people asking that Wal-Mart become more of a responsible corporate citizen.

I find it really hard to shop at Wal-Mart, I keep picturing all the hard, unpaid labour that goes into everything. I can't pick up clothes without seeing someone bent over a sewing machine, unable to take a bathroom break, making less money in a year than I make in an hour. Yah, stuff there is cheap. But I can't afford the space in my conscious.

How about, I use less stuff and they get paid more?

Food vendor in Vietnam

I just couldn't pass up this loan, Hanh Mai Thi My just wants $75 to increase her produce business. She currently makes $9 a day, and I'm sure she works very hard for it.

Loan to Mexico

I was the first person on a loan to Mexico Felipe Hilario Florido García wants $475 to buy things for his store, including religious items.

Mexico is the second country we have loaned the most to, after Honduras.

New country - Chad

I was printing out some Kiva loan pages for the June 6th Agent of Change event in Los Angeles, and I found a loan to Chad that hadn't been bid on yet. Chad is a new country, bringing the % to 15% of the world's countries. The new loan is to Neboussouboua Bekoutou Fatimé who wanted $300 for her fish business.

Lending with Friends

Jumped on this loan to join a friend in his first Kiva loan. Valentina Mookhina is in the Ukraine and wants $800 for new stock for her store. This is about 2 months of her current profits, which I think is reasonable.

Invest in Renewable Energy

I just signed a petition to ask Enron to invest more in renewable energy. They should realize its for their own good.

Lending with family

Made a KIVA loan to Hasanov Yaver in Azerbaijan because my sister's a lender. He is on his first Normicro loan and wants to buy more stock for his store. I hope his business really grows.

Five more Honduran Loans

Look what I found when I came home! New Honduran Loans. Thanks to Lucy.

Rene Adolfo Lopez wanted $325 for his sweet cart business.

Esther Reyes Murillo wants $500 for her business. Her specialty are baleadas, savory pastries filled with beans and eggs. She is in Teguigalpa, so I am going to go find her and try one of her pastries.
Maria Leonarda Sierra wants $150 to expand her small business and buy some staples. CELINA AMADOR VASQUEZ wants $200 to buy corn for tortillas. Her best customers are her neighbours.
Claudia Briselda Canales (below) also wants to buy corn for tortillas with a $125 loan.

These are real microloans. I am so happy to be able to do this.

36.5% of my loans are to Honduras

Honduran Loans

I got in on 2 more Honduran loans, but missed one that got funded without me. My portfolio is now exactly 1/3 Honduran loans. 33.33%. I love Honduras.
I loaned to Jose Martin Garcia, who wants $600 to buy eggs, flour and soft drinks. He has a small store that specializes in pastries.
The other loan was to Raul Enrique Carbajal who sells stationary, and he wants to increase his stock product.

Motocycles in Togo

I chipped in to buy a motorcycle for a KIVA Microfinancer in Togo. One of the KIVA workers wants to buy two motocycles, she's going to buy one herself and is looking for donations to purchase another one, so the office will have three. I'm thinking they will get used fully.

Changing the Present

I checked out Changing the Present today, thanks to Robert's comment. Its quite an interesting site. I like the whole concept, where you can donate to specific causes. All charities on one page.

So today I helped educate a child. I enabled one child to attend Mercy Housing after-school programs, including homework help, tutoring and computer classes, for one month.

Loans to Honduras

The new loans to Honduras got posted, and I managed to get in on a few. I think they will go very fast. Ana wants $300 for her grocer store. Jesby wanted $150 and has already raised that much, for her tamale business.

Marcia wants $200 to buy corn for her tortillas. Lillian wants $300 for her fruit and vegetable business.

Jose wants $500 for his grocery store.
Estafana wants $1000 for her printing business. And Candidia wants $1000 for her homemade food business.

Donating to Tree people to help Fire damage

I just donated to Tree People, to help them repair Griffith park after the big fire this week. I am also going to see if I can help them plant some of the trees. Its so sad that our park went up in smoke. I am glad that the zoo wasn't evacuated, but I too, worry about the homeless who were living there.

Shave your lid to help a kid

My niece just graduated, and is shaving her head to donate her lovely hair to a kid with cancer.

Just thinking about her kindness makes me cry.

If you would like to support her, you can donate here.

What a great way to start a philanthropy life.

Photo Contest - $1000 for KIVA

I'm trying to get $1000 to go to KIVA by having Joe win the Kindness in Focus photo contest. If you have a minute, please vote. He's in third place. And enjoy the other pictures, there are some great ones.

Loan to Iraq

I made another loan to Iraq today, but this time I don't know to whom or what they look like.
Note: This entrepreneur is from a volatile region where the security situation remains unsettled. Personally identifiable attributes of this entrepreneur have been altered to protect him or her (i.e. blacking out portions of the entrepreneur in his/her picture, altering his/her first or last name, etc.).

Obama

I made a donation to the Obama campaign 'cause Michelle sent me a request. I can't wait till she is our first lady. I watched videos of her speaking, and she really knows where its at. She understands how real people live.

AIDS Walk

Just donated to a friends Aid's Walk. Its happening next week. If you have some change you can donate here. I think we are making incredible progress on figuring out AIDS. A lot of our progress is due to groups like this that raise money, grant monies from the government just aren't enough.

AIDS is one disease we really need to conquer.

Lending to Iraq

First loan to Iraq, and I just barely got in. Once again I was waiting till it came out of someone's basket. I really wanted in on this loan. Not just because its to Iraq, but because its to a seamstress to buy a new machine. Fatma Kaild wanted a loan for sewing.

KIVA vitual office in Second Life. That's me!

I spent way to much of today learning about second life, and setting up KIVA information blocks. Thats' my avatar in the picture, with the 5 information files I set up and scripted. Since this picture has been taken I have also set up things inside, and on the roof. Someone gave me a hammock and I put that on the roof and have been napping in it.

I joined a KIVA group that has already amassed enough second life dollars to make 4 KIVA loans (there is a direct translation to real US dollars).

Futures for Children

I made my monthly donation to Futures for Children, for Tasha. She only has a few more weeks left of school till she graduates. One more success story for the program.

Mentoring, I could be you

I spent some time today mentoring on icouldbeyou.org. I leave comments on my mentees work, and on the discussion board. Lots of kids asking about colleges. Just the sort of thing I like to talk about. I've spent my lifetime in schools.

Selling Children's clothes in Bolivia

I just loaned to Cecilia who lives in Bolivia and wants $500 to buy an overlock sewing machine. She makes children's clothes. I know how much an overlock improves the quality of the garment, so this will really help her business. Hopefully she will learn how to use her's quicker than I did. Cecilia lives in an anticretico.

So I was interested in the loan because its related to sewing, and then was more interested when I saw Glenda was on it, but then I had to bid when I saw Kelly was on it too. So I'm lending with friends. Maybe we can all go down to Boliva sometime and visit Cecilia. Wouldn't that be fun!

The America I believe in.

I am donating to Amnesty International's $595,000 THE AMERICA I BELIEVE IN mobilization effort.
They have three goals for this year.

1) Close Guantanamo Bay. Its shameful that we are holding hundreds of people without trials in a foreign land so they won't be subjected to our laws.

2) Reverse the Military Commissions Act. Everyone has the basic right to a fair and speedy trial.

3) End torture and Rendition (when we send people to countries that torture). We should be way above this.

There is legislation for all these things underway. So all we have to do is let our congress and senators know. I'm writing mine about my views also. We can make these goals this year.

The America I believe in leads the world on human rights.

KIVA

Loaned to San Juana Monsivais Hernandez in Acuna , Mexico so she could buy supplies for her store.

I have also been working on the Agent of Change event for KIVA enthusiasts, June 6th at the Santa Monica Pier. Party at the Beach. Ask me about details if you don't already know them.