Saturday, August 31, 2013

Kiva loan to Honduras

Franklin is enterprising, honest, serious and hard working. He lives with his wife and 3 children in the south of Honduras. His business is buying and selling cattle. 

Franklin needs this loan to buy more cattle, as they're selling at a good price. With this investment, he hopes his business sales increase, as he can offer more to his clients and cover their needs, and that way improve his and his family's economic situation. 

Franklin hopes that in the next 2 years, his business will continue growing and consolidating so it can turn into the largest and most well-known in the area. He also hopes to continue supporting his family so that his children finish their studies and become honest people with principles and values.

Friday, August 30, 2013

Kiva loan to Honduras



Gloria is 37 years old, a mother of two children, housewife and a farmer. She has been in a common-law relationship for many years, one that gets stronger every day. Her children are still minors, one of them attends primary school. Along with her partner she is involved in the different farming activities such as: cleaning, harvesting the coffee beans, pruning, adding fertilizer and manure etc. Her parents taught her how to farm from an early age and she has been farming coffee for many years. She thanks God for having given them the opportunity to have their own land, which is located one kilometer from their house. 

Gloria has requested a loan from COMIXMUL in order to buy fertilizer, manure and foliar spray fertilizer. These products are necessary to keep the leaves and the plant in good condition, thus harvesting a quality bean in the end. 

Her plans are to buy a little more land on which she would plant a different, more competitive and desirable species. This would have the purpose of generating more income, boosting the family economy and offering her children a better education and higher standard of living.

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Made a few loans to Honduras today to use up Kiva credit. Must put the money to work!

José Danilo is 32 years old. He lives with hie wife and son in their house located in the community of San Lorenzo, in southern Honduras.
José Danilo's business is selling bread, water and popcorn in stores. He goes in his car to different places where there are businesses that can offer his products. He is asking for the loan to buy bread, water and popcorn to re-sell. 

With the help of the loan, José Danilo plans on improving his business and having more profits that will help him improve his and his family's quality of life a little. 

José Danilo's dream is to keep working and getting his family ahead. 

San Lorenzo, Honduras - July, 2013.

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Kiva loan to Honduras

Made a Kiva.org loan to Honduras.

30 year old Fanny lives with her common law husband and 2 children. She lives with her family in the rural community of the Municipio de Nueva Frontera, in the Santa Barbará department. Fanny has 2 years of experience selling foods and groceries such as: staple grains, meats, sodas, hygiene and cleaning products, butter, sugar, churros, bread, and candy. She previously worked as a farmer along with her husband. She is requesting her second loan for $750 while she will use to buy meats, sausages, sugar, flour, butter, condiments, sodas, and detergents. This loan will help her build her capital and supply her store so she can make better profits. Her goal is to make her business grow and to be recognized in the community.

Monday, August 26, 2013

Kiva loan to a Lydia

Made a kiva.org loan today to a Lydia, my sister's name.

Lydia is 46 years old and lives in the West Point area, Liberia, which has the most populated market in Montserrado County. She is married and she was unable to go to school. She describes herself as a hard-working woman. 

For the past five years, Lydia has been selling door locks, hinges, nails, etc. from a table in the local market. She sells six days a week, from 8am to 5pm. She enjoys her business because of the flow of her customers and the profit she makes at the time. She started this business with money given to her by her husband. Most of the time, she uses a shared taxi to get her goods to her table. 

Lydia is requesting a loan to purchase door locks, hinges, nails, etc. for her business. She plans to build a house for her children. She'd like to say thanks to the lenders who support BRAC Liberia Microfinance Company.

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Southern Poverty Law Center

I made a donation to the Southern Poverty Law Center, to renew my membership (since 2005). They provide a lot of good to the world, programs to teach tolerance and diversity in the classroom. And they take up battles for many people.

JUSTICE.

With a capital J.



Saturday, August 24, 2013

Kiva loan to Honduras

Made a Kiva.org loan to Honduras.

Delmy is 34 years old and lives in a village in the municipality of Omoa, in the department of Cortes. She is in a civil union with her partner, with whom she has three children, whereof the two older ones go to school. Delmy has been running her own business for more than three years, selling foodstuffs, knick-knacks, and candy. Nowadays her business is better stocked, like a corner store, and she offers basic grains, soft drinks, juices, chips, sausages, school supplies, knick-knacks, etc.

This is her fourth loan and she will use the 18,000 lempiras to buy basic grains, meats, sausages, soft drinks, and other groceries to have in stock. Her plan is to grow with her business and improve it every day, so that she can offer her children a better quality of life.

Friday, August 23, 2013

Snacks for Vets

I brought snacks for the volunteer office at the VA, so they could pass them out to veterans who are hungry. I try to keep the office stocked, so no one steals from the PX.

The security guard bowed to me when  I walked in with the flats of soup. Several people recognize me as the soup lady who brings in the snacks.   Been over 5 years I've been doing this.

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Helping correct History

Today I supported a documentary about a very important person in history who is unknown, because she is a women. So I helped correct history.

Alice Guy-Blaché was a woman of firsts. She did so many awesome things for movies and as you'll see, just about no one has heard of her. That's a travesty. The fact that this woman who made history was completely forgotten made me emotional for a full 8 minutes, much to the consternation of everyone around me.

http://www.upworthy.com/youve-never-heard-of-her-but-shes-basically-one-of-the-most-important-women-in-movie-history?c=ufb1

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Kiva loans to Honduras

Made a few Kiva.org loans to Honduras today, 5 to be exact. Still have some Kiva credit left.

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Kiva loan


Cristina is 60 years old, married, and has four children. She lives in the municipality of Nueva Frontera, Santa Bárbara. She has been selling basic needs products for nine years in her corner store where she offers butter, flour, sugar, detergents, sodas, etc. This business is her source of income. 

She has decided to request her fourth loan of 15,000 lempiras which she will use to invest in her business in order to have better inventory and in that way offer better products. She will buy butter, sugar, flour, cleaning products, sodas, etc. Her goal is to buy more furnishings, such as shelving, to improve her business.

Monday, August 19, 2013

So many kiva loans!

Made a lot of loans to julia on kiva today.7 in total; 2 from El Salvador, 2 from Nicaragua, 2 from Equador, and one from Colombia.

Pictured is Ana Julia from El Salvador. She wants money for cooking supplies. Love her apron.

love lending to Julia's.

Saturday, August 17, 2013

kiva loan to Ana Julia

Made a Kiva.org loan to Ana Julia in Nicaragua today.  

Ana, 55, is from the city of Boaco. She is married with one son and she works as a merchant. She started out by selling dairy products. At the age of 25, she decided to start selling vegetables and shoes, which has been very profitable. She supports her family with this business.
Her goals are to improve her property and stock her business to sell wholesale products to her clients. She has applied for a loan to buy carrots, tomatoes, onions, cabbage, potatoes, and boots for the new season. Her plan for the future is to improve the infrastructure of her business. Her next objective is to buy dairy cattle. This loan will help her because she will make an investment. With her earnings, she hopes to open another business.

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Using Kiva as Emergency Savings

 I made 2 loans to Julia's today - Made a loan to a Julia in Nicaragua for  construction materials such as cement blocks, zinc and cement. And also to a Julia in Peru for her taxi business.

I am going to build up my kiva portfolio so that I can use it for my '6 month- emergency' income. The savings one should have in case one loses ones job.  Having it in savings is a little silly since interest rates are so low. So I am going to try to build up my kiva and www.prosper.com accounts so that they are bringing in enough each month to cover my expenses.  That way if I don't need it 'cause I don't have a big emergency, it grows and helps people.

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Update

Been out of the country for the last week, visiting family. Made my world and theirs a lot better.   Saw a friend I haven't seen in decades, but am back in touch with thanks to facebook.   It's always good to get home.

I get amusing SPAM on this blog.  People try to promote their own sites by leaving comments on mine. Since I moderate all comments after the incident, I don't let the spam get published. But it does amuse me, because it often says things that are blatantly not true. The one I read today said 'I like the way you do so much research and spend so much time on your posts'. Um, no.  I actually cut and paste a lot because I am trying to do it every day, and I'm busy. And if I gave each posts a lot of time and did a lot of research (up to my 'normal' level), I wouldn't post as much.

Very few people I know in real live know about this blog. I do sometimes tell some of my activist friends about it, 'cause I do like to be inspirational. I'm glad it inspires strangers too. But one of my real life friends saw this blog and commented 'this doesn't seem to be up to your writing'. And she was right. It was all mostly cut and paste and not a lot of my usual self analyses ramblings.  Perhaps some day it will go like that.
If I didn't spend so much of my day writing I might write more here. But in the mean time, let me tell you about my latest kiva loan.....

Thursday, August 08, 2013

Wikipedia

Donated to Wikipedia today.  Because it's worth it. And my father asked, he uses it a lot.

Tuesday, August 06, 2013

Kiva loan to a Julia to buy Seeds and Fertilizers

Made a loan to a Julia in Ecuador.
Julia is a 22-year old woman who lives with her partner and their son in the cantón Ventanas in the province of Los Ríos. The communal bank "Luchando Juntos" is located in the Recinto New Zapotal belonging to Ventanas cantón. The majority of its members work in retail. Julia works in agriculture and cultivates corn and beans. 

She is requesting a loan to buy seeds and fertilizers, and to ultimately benefit her family. Her dream is to expand her crops and to obtain more revenue.


Monday, August 05, 2013

Kiva loan to a Julia

Made a www.kiva.org loan to a Julia in Mexico.    She is asking for help from Kiva to install a sheet metal roof at the front of her house to shield it from the sun. At this time of year they don't enjoy being in the house because when there is a lot of sun it is very hot inside the house and they are not very comfortable. By carrying out the project they have in mind they will be protected from the sun and their home will feel a bit fresher.

Sunday, August 04, 2013

Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library

Made a donation today to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library today. My name will be in a book in the library as one of its Lincoln's Cabinet.

I think we need to preserve the memory of his works and what he accomplished.  Hopefully it will inspire others to greatness.