Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Pass it on.

I ran into an old friend on Saturday who told me she passed on a gift I had given her about 10 years ago. When she was a student she had a Christmas where I helped her out with some money because she was as poor as I've been as a student. And to be honest, I hadn't remembered the gift. But she had, and passed it on and told the person what I told her 'not to pay her back but to pass it forward'.

It only takes a spark to get a fire going.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Kivia


I made a kiva loan to Mongolia today.
Mr. Dorlig is 46 years old and lives with his wife and five sons in Ulaanbaatar, the capital city of Mongolia. They all live together in a small house that they built recently. His eldest son is married but still lives in father’s house. His three younger sons, Chimiddorj, Turbold and Cagaancooj, are in high school and secondary school. Dorlig runs a taxi business in the city in his own car, which he bought on leasing contract from his taxi company. He enjoys transporting people. He also works in a secondary school as a carpenter and plumber on a part-time basis. Dorlig is a very hardworking person and is known for his good character. He has gained a lot of experience over the years and is a trusted driver for his many customers. Last April, Dorlig took a loan from Kiva, used it appropriately and paid back in full, on time. Now he is requesting a loan for the second time to complete his house improvement. About Credit Mongol: Credit Mongol’s mission is to contribute to the prosperity of Mongols by providing diversified financial services to micro-loan and small and medium enterprise (SME) clients and to become the best-performing company in micro-loan and SME financing in Mongolia. About Housing Loans Many poor families are financially unable to purchase a house that meets their needs. Housing loans funded on Kiva give families access to capital to improve their homes and an opportunity to pay loans back at a pace that they can handle. The housing and small business loans featured on Kiva share a common purpose: they alleviate conditions of poverty and enable families to lead more stable lives.

Sunday, August 08, 2010

Kiva loans

I just got back from a short trip to Cartegena, Colombia. I didn't get a chance to visit any of my Kiva loans, I was there mostly on business.

Today I loaned to two Julia's - one in Nicaragua, the other in Peru.