Lending for higher education

I made a loan to Jean in Rwanda to help pay for a lap top to go to school in the US.  

Loan to coffee grower in Peru

Made a loan to Peru, to a new microlender.  Adriano, aged 45, is a member of the Cenfrocafe Cooperative and lives in Caserío Cruz de Chalpon, San Ignacio, Peru. Adriano lives with his wife and their two children who are of school age. He wants to use the income from the farm to support his family and to educate his children. Adriano dreams of salvaging his coffee production, which was affected by yellow coffee rust, and buying more hectares of coffee.

With the loan Adriano is going to buy fertilisers so he can ensure good quality in his organic coffee. He has shown himself to be responsible during his eight years as an active member of Norandino and is grateful for the services. With the extra income he wants to reinvest the money into his farm. Adriano plans shortly to buy more hectares of coffee and guarantee a good life for his family.

Scales and support through Amazon Smiles

Just bought a  shipping scale and sent it to my adopted niece. She's building a business and I am helping. I bought it through Amazon, through the 'smiles' program and a portion of the money went to TEAM RUBICON, one of my favourite non-profits. Here I wearing one of their supporting 'I'm in the Tribe' t-shirts.

'Adopted family'

Family isn't always blood.  Over the years I have picked up kids (and adults) who failed the parent lottery and taken on active and consistent roles as a close mentor. A few years ago I picked up twins who are now in University. One spent the summer with me(first time) and is returning to school tomorrow. I just took him on a grand vacation to meet my family in Canada, and show him what family could be. We had many family parties and dinners and we got to spend some time seeing a bit of Alberta including the Rocky mountains.

An adopted niece cat sat.  Family is wonderful and it's not just blood.

kiva

Made 2 kiva loans to new microlenders I hadn't leant to. I think I have 33 left to find. And 4 countries.

Kiva loans to to new field partners

Found 2 loans from field partnerss I haven't lent to yet. Still trying to tick off that box.

I have 33 field partners still to lend to. Since some of them are no longer partners I have actually loaned to :

Field Partners 306 / 253

Likewise  I have 4 countries left to lend to, but

Countries 81 / 78 is my tally.

Two new countries to lend to

Just made two loans, one to Nepal and the other to Lesotho. First time lending to both countries.

New Kitten

I went to the local SPCA yesterday and adopted a new kitten. She's 11 weeks old and adorable. I am hoping she'll play a lot with my other cats.

The Pasadena SPCA has a new cat house that has several communal cat areas. It's very beautiful. And it was nice to see empty cages.  I choose which kitty I wanted a head of time because there was no way I could look into their eyes and decide.  So I went there hoping to bring Harley home. And I did. And she's now curled up beside me.

Kiva

Joined one of my Kiva groups in trying to get a loan funded, also chose a loan from a microlender I haven't loaned to in a while.

Helping Ferel cats

I made a donation today to a wonderful group in British Columbia, Canada that is saving feral cats. They have a very ambitious goal to care for the current cats and reduce future generations by neutering. They are taking in pregnant cats and finding homes for the  kittens. And they put everything online so you can follow them. Lots of live web cams.

http://www.tinykittens.com/cats

Helping delegates get to Philadelphia

I've been donating a lot lately to Sanders delegates to help fund their trip to the convention. Not sure how many I've funded, I've not kept track.  One is supposed to send me postcards.

It's hard not to help encourage and support people who have such passion and are willing to donate time and effort into making things better for everyone.

Kiva loans

Made 3 more kiva loans to microlenders I haven't loaned to yet. Slowly getting through them all.

Two more kiva loans

I made 2 more kiva loans today. Lending to new microlenders. I need to make more money so I can have more money to lend through kiva.

Team Rubicon - One of the best Non-profits.

Just 'fixed' my monthly donation to TEAM RUBICON.
They are such a great organization, win/win.  Vets helping.

I ran into a member last week at the airport in Calgary, Alberta Canada. He was just coming off the Fort Mac Deployment.  I wish I was wearing my 'I'm in the Tribe' shirt.

Kiva loans

Made 4 Kiva loans to microlenders I haven't loaned to yet.  I have leant to 291/256 field partners.

Kiva loan to Juliet

Made a loan to Juliet in Africa today.
Juliet

uliet is a production worker and an Organic and Fair Trade Certified Oil Palm Farmer who lives in Akim-Asuom in the Kwaebibirem District of the Eastern Region of Ghana, West Africa. She is 34 years old and married with three children, all of whom have a basic education. 

Juliet believes organic oil palm is profitable and helps protect the environment. In this regard, she wants to secure a Kiva loan to expand her oil palm field, in order to create more development and also to be able to continue providing for the education of her children and improve her family’s lifestyle.

Wonderful Words

I got a beautiful card from my cousin today. She's actually my 4th cousin. I met her a few years ago when my sister and her sister planned a 'family' gathering in London.  The sisters had met on ancestry.com.  14 of us trucked over from North America and joined other distant cousins into ancestry.

So while I was there I spoke of my hobby business that I started to help friends feed kids. It sells costumes online. I started it about 15 years ago and have hired over 100 people so far.  We sell to religious people also, we make a lot of monks robes.

I like to buy products from local artisans Made in USA.  So when my cousin told me her son could make wooden crosses for me, we went into business.  He has severe schizophrenia and can't work. But I now give him something to do.

the card reads:
Thank you for giving A this work. It makes him feel like he is able to do something worthwhile with his life.

Words are so sweet to hear. We're all in this together.

And the crosses are beautiful.

Stamp out Hunger Food Drive by Letter Carriers

I put together a bag of food for my letter carrier to pick up at my mail box tomorrow. It's Stamp out hunger day.Stamp out Hunger

Kiva Loan

Made a Kiva loan today with one of my Kiva groups. We get together to do this every Monday.

Rescued Cats back in Africa.

Pictures of the 33 'cats' that were rescued. They will live out the rest of their days in comfort. So happy to see. More pics here

I have 2 smaller cats in my house. One came to stay a few years ago, she was living with a young friend who was never home and they lived in a small space. My Binx cat arrived depressed but quickly got over it living here with all the attention. My other cat Kallie is a rescue from the local SPCA. I got her at 3 months. She was very timid. It's been over a year and she is now rather spoiled. She's currently meowing from another room because she wants me to go play with her.

Fires in Alberta

I made another donation to the Canadian Red Cross for the Fires in Alberta.
The fires are growing.
I'm also working on getting other Canadians Abroad folks to donate with me.

https://donate.redcross.ca/ea-action/action?ea.client.id=1951&ea.campaign.id=50610

Feeding refugees.

Made a donation to

PHILOXENIA  

today.  They are feeding refugees.

The name Philoxenia derives from an ancient Greek term referring to the duty of kindness and hospitality shown to guests, foreigners or strangers, and embodies the true generosity of human spirit. We are team Philoxenia, and our mission is to embrace and share this spirit among the growing population of asylum seekers in Europe. We provide hot meals, comfortable spaces and open arms in

stressful environments. We work to provide positive support and inspire a sense of humanity and solidarity that people can carry with them throughout their onward journey.

In 2015, vast numbers of ordinary people have been forced to flee their homes in fear of persecution, violence or death and in search of freedom, justice and dignity. Despite the harsh winter conditions and increased risk of drowning at sea, thousands continue to make the treacherous journey into the EU each day. Government and international aid agencies, though equipped with large scale funding and facilities, are unable to address every need in this volatile environment. We are here to fill the gaps that are left behind. This initiative emerges from the desire to support incoming refugees in some of their daily challenges. We feel that at the end of the day, a simple but warm meal can go a long way. 

Our goal is to provide a warm meal to 1000 people a day. That means, during our first year of operation, we will provide around 356,000 warm meals to asylum seekers throughout the EU. 

Thank you for being kind, the world is so much better because of it.

Fort McMurry Fire

I made a donation today to the Red Cross of Canada to help the people of Fort McMurry, Alberta.  Fire just got most of the town and everyone was evacuated.


Donation link here - Canadian Red Cross - Alberta Fires.   You don't have to be Canadian to donate.

Kiva loan to Madagascar

Made a Kiva loan to Ruffine. My first loan to Madagascar,

Ruffine is a widow, 58 years old, and she had only one son, who is already married. She lives in a busy neighborhood. For a dozen years, she has been selling kitchen utensils at the market: with this business, she has succeeded in meeting family needs. It is also a passion of hers. 

She has been a partner with VAHATRA for nine years. With her previous loan, she had profits she preferred to reinvest as capital. She still wants to take out another loan to purchase kitchen utensils to sell, such as cups, buckets, pots, and tureens. 

Ruffine is thinking about her financial independence. Her goal is to build a house.

Southern Poverty Law Center

I've been donating to the Southern Poverty Law Center for over a decade. They do wonderful work against hate.
 We need less hate in the world.

They also teach tolerance.

We need more of that too.

Sustaining Space

I helped out James in Oregon today with part of a Kiva Zip loan. These loans are for Americans (I think mostly) for their small businesses.  We all need capital.

Pasadena Humane Society

I made a donation to the Pasadena Humane Society today. It's being matched

Political Revolution

Helping get Bernie Sanders elected president.

Feel the burn.

Post Card to Attawapiskat.

I sent a post card today to Attawapiskat.

"The Canadian First Nations community of Attawapiskat declared a state of emergency this month after 11 people tried to kill themselves in a single night, bringing the total number of suicide attempts since September to more than 100."

So sad.  I'm having a day that is hard for me too, But it's never been so hard that I wanted to die.  Just need to look harder for the good in the world


Read the story here

Helping Syrian Refuges with cats

I made a donation to help a few Syrian refuges who have 3 cats.  So brave.

https://www.generosity.com/emergencies-fundraising/syrian-refugee-family-and-three-cats-need-a-home/x/36927

Kiva loans

I made 9 Kiva loans today. Two were for 'dentistry', the last 'activity' I had left to fund. The others were for microlenders I haven't loaned to yet.
 I really should set kiva up to automatically fund loans. I always seem to have a balance. So much to do in life.

Friend of Saxonhouse

I helped fund new thatching for the Saxon House.

Friends of Saxonhouse

Bring Hope to the Table

Donated to 'Bring Hope to the Table' when I bought some groceries at Ralphs.  The money goes to help feed people in need. http://www.bringinghopetothetable.com/

Team Rubicon Support squad

Just signed up to be a monthly donor to Team Rubicon. Member of the Support Squad.
Team Rubicon is a veterans organization that helps out after natural disasters.

"I support Team Rubicon not only for the important job they are fulfilling by getting experienced first responders on the ground to disaster areas, but what they provide in allowing our veterans to use the leadership, operational, and technical skills"


http://www.teamrubiconusa.org/?mc_cid=ec9310b54f&mc_eid=8b0386dcf6

kiva

Made a few kiva loans today.  love the new picture that shows where they went

Kiva loans

I was asked by a group on facebook to make a kiva loan to a widow from El Salvador with a grocery store.  I made 2 other loans to microlenders I hadn't lent to yet.

Respect and Dignity

I had a conversation with a homeless man today.  He was sitting outside a book store and said hi to me so I stopped and chatted with him when I came out. Just about what I was doing and small talk stuff. Nothing about him being homeless or wanting food or money.  Just treated him like he was a person. Which of course he is. But when you're homeless that gets taken away from you.

I've sat with homeless people on a few occasion (sometimes I'll buy food and eat with them). As soon as you are with them, people stop noticing you.  They walk by and advert their eyes. Everyone just happens to be looking the other way. They clutch bags and act afraid.   I can tell they don't see me, I am just getting judged by the company i'm with. I don't get that reaction when I sit alone, lots of people make eye contact.

So today I gave a homeless person some respect and dignity.

Kiva loans

I just made 9 Kiva loans of $25 each, to use up my Kiva credit.

I need to blog more.  I do things but don't have time to write about them.

Musical Instruments

Whoot, finally got a loan filling one of the last 3 'activities' on KIVA (out of 149). Kiva tallies several lending statistics. Obsessive people like me try to get at least one in each category/group. This one fulfilled 'Musical Instruments'.

Helped Bail out Greece

Made a small donation to help bail out Greece.  It's a fundraiser and they are trying to raise all 1.6 billion.  Hope it goes through. I really like the idea of the people raising so much money to help people.
 http://time.com/3942118/british-man-indiegogo-greece/

buy products to amass more stock.

Made a kiva loan to Silvio in Brazil.  First time lending in Brazil. I think his summary really summarizes a lot of Kiva need:

A loan of $1,475 helps Silvio to buy products to amass more stock.

As a small business person building up inventory I can totally relate.

!0 loans

Made 10 Kiva loans.
Been busy with house renovations and the business and my work. Not necessarily in that order.
And going through some personal issues (break up) which makes me lethargic and not wanting to blog. But I"m crawling out of it.

Back to lending to Julia's

I could not find any loans in the lender statistics, I've leant to all the microlenders, in all fields, etc.  Or as many as I could.
So I'm back to lending to Julia's. Made 2 loans today. One may not get funded, it's only at 1% and has 4 days left.

I haven't been posting here 'cause I've had some personal issues and it's made me not want to do too much. Life gets in the way. I got hurt and wanted to crawl into my shell for a bit.

I hope I'm back.

Kiva zip - loans to California

I made 3 loans today to people in California through the kiva zip program.

Kiva

I made 10 Kiva loans today to use up credit that acculated over the holidays. One was to a new industry, the others to new microlenders. I'm still trying to get one in each category. I like completing things. And data.

www.kiva.org

I want to go fly my Kiva plane. Wonder if I still have it.

Dinner for one

I bought a meal today for a street person who was sitting outside Whole Foods. I got him something hot - a chicken bowl with veggies. And a drink.  Made his world a bit better today.

Christmas presents from local artisans

My co-op (that just opened this year) had a crafts fair with local artisans. I decided to do all my christmas shopping there. I usually try to do it all in one place, supporting one thing. I've adopted Gorillas and given Kiva gift certificates and shopped at 10,000 villages.

This year everyone is getting items from co-op members.  I had a necklace for my mom elongated and the artisan stopped by my house to deliver. How's that for personal service!

11 Kiva loans

I have lots of kiva credit so made 11 kiva loans to lenders I haven't lent to, to finish those stats.

Made food for Thanksgiving for homeless/needy folk

I helped make food today at a local restaurant to feed the homeless for Thanksgiving. Got to work in the kitchen.

Gorillas

I made a donation to the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund

.  I like to support her.

Tree people - trees in Los Angeles

I made my yearly donation to Tree people.  They plant trees in the Los Angeles area. I've planted trees with them. It's a lot of fun, better then when I was trying to do it as a living.

After we plant each tree we hold hands around and say a prayer chant and name it. And go back and water it to help it survive.  Very different than the commercial enterprises I was part of where we planted many poorly and hoped a few survived.

Planned Parenthood.

Made my yearly donation to Planned parenthood. Everyone deserves access to birth control.

Oxfam

Made a donation to Oxfam America

"Oxfam America is a global organization working to right the wrongs of poverty, hunger, and injustice. As one of 17 members of the international Oxfam confederation, we work with people in more than 90 countries to create lasting solutions. Oxfam saves lives, develops long-term solutions to poverty, and campaigns for social change."

Habit for Humanity. International.

Made my yearly donation to Habitat for Humanity.

Humane Society & SPCA

Made a donation to the Pasadena Humane Society and SPCA.  I am so glad they are there to take care of stray animals.
  I donate to this shelter at least once a year.

Mexican CHEESE Farmer from Kiva

Made a Kiva loan

Elias is a small Mexican farmer who produces and sells cheese for a living. He decided to purchase a 120-cubic-meter Sistema Biobolsa biodigester in order to reduce the high energy costs, which were threatening the existence of the business itself. 
By purchasing the biodigester, he will not have to externally buy the expensive propane needed for cooling and other purposes anymore. He will be able to fully integrate biogas production in the natural cycle of his business. By using the Sistema Biobolsa waste-to-energy solution, Elias will take full advantage of the large quantities of manure his animals produce every day. The biodigester is a strategic acquisition for Elias and will allow his cheese producing activity to flourish. 
This loan represents 22% of the total cost of the Sistema Biobolsa biodigester.

Kiva to Iraq

Made a Kiva loan to Iraq.

Shaima, a 38 year old mother of four, is an attorney and civil-society activist with twelve years of professional experience. She has participated in many activities with local NGOs and international agencies, and works in a clinic that provides legal aid for women survivors of domestic violence.

Shaima identified an entrepreneurial opportunity when she noticed a lack of sufficient hotel options to accommodate the increase of tourists in her Iraqi hometown. Although the tourism market in Shaima’s conservative community is generally run by men, she bravely penetrated this male-dominated business world and opened a small motel in June 2013. Her self-confidence and her family’s support were key elements in making this decision. Shaima’s business has improved her family’s economic situation and, in turn, their quality of life. Moreover, her business has created job opportunities for five community members. Shaima expects this number to increase as her business flourishes.

Wikipedia

I made a donation to Wikipedia today. My father asks me to, he uses it all the time. And he doesn't have a US credit card and asks me to donate for him.
 I am glad to donate to Wikipedia because I am glad they exist.

Security Deposit

I helped Tracey with some funds she needs for a security deposit.  She's not asking for much but it will allow her to move into a place and she's been homeless for over a year.

http://www.benevolent.net/need.html?needid=892

Kiva Zip loan for CHOCOLATE

Another worthwhile story.
Love helping local people.

Personal Story

I grew up in the mean and beautiful streets of Los Angeles, California with my six other siblings, and boy it was an adventure! Being the eldest girl came with a lot of unwanted responsibility but unbeknownst to me this shaped who I am today. I take charge, risk and responsibility to do what I love.

I've been cooking, baking and creating sweet goods and chocolate confections for over thirty years. It's such second nature, I feel I can do it with my eyes closed. I've raised three wonderful children with my husband of 26 years, who passed away in 2006 due to complications with congestive heart failure. My husband was a great provider but needed to be cared for as well. Without questions, I put everything on hold to do so. Now it is my time to manifest my dreams.

My dream is to own and operate my own chocolate confection company. That would also include a thriving internet web site, a charming store front and the ability to successfully share my vision worldwide. I was able to display my talents recently at a friend's wedding. I took care of all her center pieces and thank you gifts. Her guest loved everything so much they started calling me to provide chocolate confections for other events. That's when I figured out I was sitting on an excellent business idea!

Business Description

My business provides delicious chocolate confections and gifts for any and all occasions. I saw there was a need for a business like mine when I would try to find unique and beautiful gifts, and could not find anything out of the ordinary. I would make chocolate and combined it with a customized gift or theme. Everybody who saw my gifts loved the idea so much they became my loyal customers.

In December, 2013, J Kirs Chocolates was re-launched. My biggest challenge is getting the exposure I need for this company to be highly successful. Thanks to word of mouth by my friends and family, I have a strong customer base. Hopefully, with a little help I can continue to knock out some goals. My goal is to operate on a much larger scale with staff, equipment, and a store front or commercial kitchen for my chocolate creations.

What is the purpose of this loan?

A loan from the Kiva Zip program would help to expedite the growth of J Kris Chocolates to the next level. Funding will help with payroll, kitchen rental expenses, marketing, and equipment, including chocolate melters, a popcorn popper, stackable racks, a labeling system for product ingredients, and bar coding system.

Helping make a dream

Local Kiva Zip loan. Lots more verbiage than the regular kiva loans. Brings out his personality. I'm going to try to find his store sometime.

Personal Story

I was born in Puebla, Mexico. My father was an electrician and my mother a stay at home mom. I had a humble upbringing; my father worked hard for us to have the essentials we needed and also provided the means to start my education. I was a good student and my parents pushed me to study. I was one of the highest in my class and with honors.

After high school, an opportunity presented itself to go work with my cousin in New York. He always to send me pictures of all the wonderful places he would visit and I had to come to see them for myself. I also knew coming to live and work in the United States there was opportunities that were not available in my home country.

I worked hard getting employment in grocery stores and minimarts where I quickly became a valued employee. I realized that here in the United States, saving my money, and working hard I could also own my own business. I eventually bought the minimart where I was an employee. I quickly realized that I needed to become an active participant in the health of my customers and my community, and began preparing a business plan with the help of the Harbor BusinessSource to offer healthy alternatives to my customers in the store. With the implementation of this new plan, I can provide education and healthier foods to my Hispanic community who have a high rate of obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes.

Business Description

I was an employee of La Milagrosa market in Wilmington, CA for 4 years. It is a small minimart that sells Latino food products, snacks, beverages, fresh meat, and also produce. When the owner decided to sell, I saw my opportunity and jumped on it.

My dream was always to become a business owner in the United States, so I acquired it with my hard earned savings. I've gotten to know and care for my customers, who are predominantly Hispanic, and hope to continue providing excellent service while providing fresh, organic, and healthy alternatives that will make an impact in the health of my community.

We currently serve 100 customers a day, predominantly middle- and high-school students in the afternoons and the general community in the evenings. We strive to provide convenience and great prices, which makes a difference to our customers who often work full-time but want to avoid fast food for their families.

What is the purpose of this loan?

With this loan of $3,000, I will expand my inventory to include more (and healthier) choices. After investing all my savings toward the purchase of the store, I haven't been able to expand my product range. This loan will impact my business instantly by attracting more customers, who want and need a wider range of choices in their food and other convenience items.

My neighborhood has often been called a ‘food desert’ because there are few green, fresh, healthy options. I will first add more shelves where I can display my new inventory. I will then purchase an array of fresh and nutritious products such as wheat tortillas, low sodium canned goods, and organic produce just to name a few where in this community it is not so easy to access. This will allow me to introduce my community to products that are delicious and weight conscious, helping educate them on the importance of choosing healthier substitutes. I can then continue living my dream of being a productive business owner.

When my business grows the whole community also partakes in my success. I will hire more employees, creating economic opportunity in this small, tight-knit community.

Kiva zip loan in Los Angeles

Made a Kiva Zip loan to a local business to help a mother daughter team.

Helping out close to home with Kiva's new Kiva zip program.

This program is for loans in developed countries - o% loans for people doing good things.

I like to support the local economy, I do most of my food shopping at the farmer's market (which is easier to do in Southern California, one can live off a fantastic diet of things grown within 100 miles).

This loan is for someone who lives very close to me.

Alley cat allies

I am proud to support Alley Cat Allies, a great group trying to make life better for our feral cats.

Their programs are working. Cats lives are improving.

 Love kitties. Wish they could all be healthy and happy.

Southern Poverty Law Center

With all the things going on in Fergusson right now, I'm making a contribution to the Southern Poverty Law Center to help with civil rights. And equality. And all the other great things they do.

Been a proud supporter for years.

Green America

Made my yearly contribution to Green America to help them organize and promote greening. I have used their catalog many times in the past - Natural Green pages..

The mission of Green America is to harness economic power—the strength of consumers, investors, businesses, and the marketplace—to create a socially just and environmentally sustainable society.

Kiva loan to a new country - Myanmar

Kiva loan.

Located in Central Myanmar’s Yaysagyo township, this community currently has 44 village customers, including 6 CBO (Community Based Organization) committee members who help to lead the loan program in the area. This village is located in Myanmar's dry zone, where insufficient rainfall is very common. Most villagers are Buddhist and struggle to find access to affordable credit, as the state-owned agricultural bank is not active in the area.

Most people in the village rely on traditional farming and cultivate various crops such as pigeon peas, sesame, chickpeas, cotton and groundnuts. The new loan would enable the community to pay for farming inputs such as seeds, fertilizers and compost, and lease equipment, such as tractors and bulls, for the planting and harvesting seasons.

Pictured above are the committee members from the Min Kan Village CBO: U San, U Win, U Tin, Daw Aye, Daw Myint and Daw Kyi. Included in the photo (farthest to the right) is 50-year-old U San, who has eight family members. He works not only as a farmer, but also as a construction worker in nearby villages. He used his past loan to invest in compost and fertilizer. He will invest his new loan in sesame and cotton seeds for the coming cropping season.

Additional Information

More information about this loan

This loan will be facilitated through Proximity Designs network of Community Based Organizations (CBOs) in order to support rural farmers in Myanmar’s Delta and Dry Zone regions.  Proximity worked closely with CBOs to provide relief services after Cyclone Nargis and to support village infrastructure projects.

CBOs also play a key role in providing access to microcredit.  In this model, CBO committee members support Proximity loan officers throughout the entire loan cycle. They assist in selecting village borrowers and also act as formal representatives during loan disbursement, collection of repayments and other communications. CBO committee members appear in Kiva profiles – often alongside village borrowers – as representatives of the community.

Since families rely heavily on income from farming to support their livelihoods, these loans are structured with a single bullet repayment at the end of the loan term. The timing aligns with expected harvest season when borrowers will be able to repay. All community members who receive financing through the CBO model must repay their portion of the loan before a village will be eligible to receive new funding. 

About Proximity Designs:

Proximity Designs is a non-profit social enterprise that offers loan products to help small, low income farmers increase their productivity and income. There are around 12 million farmers in Myanmar who make up more than a third of the labor force. The majority of these farmers have virtually no access to formal credit institutions.

In the absence of other financing opportunities, most small farmers in Myanmar are unable to afford the equipment, material, and labor necessary to grow their crops without the help of Proximity Designs. Kiva funding will be used to help Proximity Designs expand its agricultural microfinance operation and reach more low income, rural farmers.

Kiva in India

Kiva loan to India.  Rinalata is a married woman living with her husband and three children in a rental at Bhubaneswar town, Odisha, India. The member standing first on the left with a raised hand is Rinalata. She, along with her husband, is doing a grocery business in their locality and maintains their livelihood. Their monthly income is near about Rs. 13,000 per month, which was not sufficient to meet their monthly household expenses. 

One of her sons, named Anip, is continuing his ITI (Mechanic Trade) in Gop College, Puri. He is a good student and wants to do a diploma in Mechanics, but due to lack of money he is not in a position to continue his study. For continuation of his study, Rinalata wants a loan of Rs. 30,000. Your help will enable Anip to complete his diploma in Mechanical Trade and get a technical job at a handsome salary. 

The other five members of her group are Pramila, Meena, Sanjukta, Santilata and Jayanti.

Kiva

Salome is 40 years old and married with seven children. She earns her income through the sale of crops and also earns small wages as a local community worker. She grows maize, coffee, beans, Irish potatoes and bananas. She also has cows, goats and chickens.

Salome looks forward to becoming a Community Knowledge Worker (CKW) supervisor. As a CKW supervisor, Salome will use the materials in her business-in-a-box (which include a smartphone and a solar-charging device) to support the other CKWs and disseminate vital agricultural information to the members of her village. In doing so, Salome will help them to improve their crop yields and increase their incomes. Salome will also personally offer CKW services to farmers. 

With the additional money that she will earn as a CKW, Salome will expand her farm and pay the school fees for her children. Her biggest dream in life is to become a model farmer supporting other small-holder farmers in her community.

Kiva loan to Rwanda

Laetty is one of a few dynamic women in Rwanda's male-dominated construction industry. Laetty began working in the construction industry three years ago when she first purchased her quarry. Since then, she has been supplying big and small construction companies with stones for building houses and roads. Rwanda's construction industry is booming, and Laetty has identified a new opportunity to grow her business.

Buy purchasing a stone crushing machine, Laetty will now be able to provide her clients with gravel and sand. These new products will enable her to add value to her existing business by processing her raw materials, while meeting the expanding needs of her customers.

Laetty has been an active member of African Entrepreneur Collective. She has attended several of our business training classes, meets with an AEC staff member once per week to discuss business strategies and opportunities, and has partnered with other AEC entrepreneurs to refer clients and other supports.

With a current base of 10 employees, Laetty anticipates adding three new permanent staff members to run this machine, as well as 20-30 part-time workers.

Smithsonian

Made my yearly donation to the Smithsonian. Best free museum ever!

Doctors Without Borders

Filled out a survey today for Doctors without Borders to help them understand their supporters. I included a donation in the response. I think Doctors without Borders is doing a fantastic job responding to natural disasters and helping people. I support them over the Red Cross because more of their funding goes directly to help and not administrative costs.

SPCA

Made a donation to the local SPCA to help with their summer funding drive.   Summer is hard on homeless animals, they get overheated and suffer from dehydration. Also more kittens and puppies around.

Love animals. Want them all to live good lives.

This donation was a general one, but I am contributing a lot to save cats.

Planned Parenthood

Made my yearly donation to Planned Parenthood.  I think they are an amazing organization that really helps women with health and birth control issues.  When I lived in New Hampshire my doctor was located in a Planned Parenthood clinic and I could see all the good they did.

Made a donation and joined the founding partners for the National Medal of Honor Museum.  

This museum will serve as a permanent home for the stories of the heros who received a National Medal of Honor.

Amazon smile

I set up Amazon smile today so that a percentage of what I purchase through amazon will go to a non-profit I select. I chose Team Rubicon; their facebook post turned me onto amazon smile.

I do tend to buy a lot of things from Amazon. I buy a lot of things online because I don't really like shopping and don't really need many things and when I do need something I want something particular.

I installed the extensions to my browser so I don't have to do anything to make my Amazon purchases donate.

Team Rubicon

Made a donation to day to support Team Rubicon's efforts in helping people in Washington state who were affected by the fires.
 

Team Rubicon empowers veterans with a new mission and community through disaster response and humanitarian crises.

This wonderful non-profit lets vets use their skills in helping Americans in the USA.

WIN/WIN.

Kiva loan

Helped out with a kiva loan today as recommended by one of my kiva groups. trying to get her funded.

The Huntington

Made a donation to the Huntington today. It's a beautiful place. And the world needs more beautiful places.

KIva loan

Made a few kiva loans. 'cause I can.

People assisting the homeless PATH

I make a monthly automatic contribution to PATH. 

They are truly helping put people in homes.  And homelessness is a big issue.  I see homeless people almost every time I leave my house. If I stop for fast food (which is rare, but I do the occasional SUBWAY), I will buy food for anyone around. And eat with them if I can.   

I was at a meeting once where I sat beside a noble prize winner during the event dinner. The night before I had had dinner with a homeless person sitting on the street curb. 

Kiva Credit

Had a lot of Kiva credit, I was travelling out of the country again.
Today I made 10 loans to people from microlenders I haven't lent to before.

I am going to go into Second Life and fly around in my Kiva plane and reminisce about past fun times.

Smiles

Did one of those quizzes to determine my life's motto and got:

"Be the reason someone smiles today" - Don't forget to spread some of your happiness around. You are lucky, you have a lot of great things going on in your life to be thankful for, and a lot of light within you that you can share with others. Who knows, one day they just might return the favor.

I make people smile all the time. I say hi and do small talk as often as possible, with my neighbours, the people I see on my walks, shopkeepers, homeless, etc.  I get in elevators and say things and make people laugh most of the time. It's good to laugh

Busy busy

I've been so busy.
My Kiva repayments piled up so I made 17 loans today. I chose them based on activities and microfinancers I haven't lent to yet.

Hopefully my life will settle down again and I'll blog more.