Wikipedia

I donated today to support Wikipedia.

kiva loan

I made a loan today to Gulnora Abdulloeva Pendjikent, Tajikistan because she was holding a big lion like I used to have as a child.

kiva

I made a loan to MARLENE JIMENEZ GARRIDO Group in Boliva today. They only have 4 days left and a lot more to borrow, I wonder if they will get it all?

kiva loans

I made five loans today, to the Kimho Mey Group, Mai Yum Sren Group Cambodia, Botir Shomurodov Tajikistan, Sao Khuy Cambodia, YOLANDA QUISPE DONAIRE Group
Bolivia. I chose them because they are going to expire in 4 days, and I have lots of Kiva credit that I want to use up before I leave next week.

homeless and coats

My housemate just told me that he gave away his coat last night. His winter coat that he has had for years. He said he saw someone sleeping on the street last night with just a thin blanket, and couldn't just leave him there. So he left his expensive winter coat on top of him, and walked away without even seeing who he helped. He probably won't tell anyone else this story, so I thought I would get it out there.

Lending to weavers

I didn't find any new Julia's today, so I searched Kiva on 'weaver' and found the CARMEN PARI Group from El Alto / La Paz, Bolivia.

Weaving and hand embroidery of sweaters for adults and children is one of the most common activities within the "Gaviotas" (Seagulls) association, which works in the center of Villa Tejada. In addition to this activity, some people also embroider tablecloths and sew macrame. All of the married women have found in Pro-Mujer the opportunity to create small businesses that allow them to earn sufficient income to support their families. The Gaviotas association wants to increase their sales to achieve greater profits, so it needs more capital to buy quality materials.

Kiva, Obama and Educationgeneration.org

When worlds collide - I joined a new Obama 'Kiva lending group' - barackobama.com that was just started by a friend. I made a loan to Juliana Odoko in Lagos State, Nigeria in support of the new group.

I also set up accounts and sponsored students for my 'facebook Obama friends'), 13 of them. I only friend people on facebook I know personally, btw. But very few people who I know personally actually know about this blog, I don't publize it.

I made a gift myself to Maria Ritz in Pakistan so she can continue her schooling. She wants to be a teacher and help support her 6 siblings. How about they all become teachers?

Been working on Obama 2.0 - change happening in America. I'm pretty excited about all of the things we've got going already.

Elsa from Juliaca

I made a loan today to Elsa from Juliaca, Peru.

Elsa is 46 years old, lives alone, as she is divorced and does not have children. She has been selling shoes for 20 years in one of the most well-known markets in Juliaca, Tupca Amaru market. What Elsa likes about her job is selling. She has always stood out for having the ability to convince others, which has helped her a lot in sales. Thanks to the good location of her stall her sales are very good, leading her to consider expanding her business. The difficult part of her work is having to remain at work during various hours of the day and the cold weather of this season. This is her 9th loan with Microfinanzas Prisma, and she has been punctual with her payments.

Obama 2.0

I'm pretty excited about the campaign moving in a 'volunteer in your own community' way. I'm excited how quick we got moving and organized.

I posted pictures and more text on my Obama blog. Here - http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/dreaming/gGxzvv

Helping Julia with a Kiva loan

Today I helped with a loan to Julia in PUCALLPA, Peru. She wants to increase the quantity of garments to sell. Same old, same old - more inventory = higher profits.

Kiva

Made a loan today to Juana Julia Bastos Garcia in Callería, Coronel Portillo, Ucayali, Peru. With this loan of S/. 3,000, which she will repay in 5 months, she will buy 4 tires, fix the motor, upholster the seats, buy 6 lights, shocks, etc

kiva of course

I made a loan today to Juliana Nartey in Kasoa, Ghana. She wants money to buy more oil for her palm oil business.

I'm also attending a local 'change is coming ' house party. There will be over 20 of us (who signed up, and at least 3 of my friends are going who are not signed up). The Los Angeles event (10 miles or so from us) has over 500 people signed up. We are FIRED UP AND READY TO GO.
As listed on the blog.

The goals of our get-together will be multi-fold, not the least of which will be to keep the grass-roots momentum going. I think that myself and many others view this as not only another political election, but as a progressive movement to really change some of the awful ways our country was run during the Bush administration.

I plan to facilitate a discussion on what we can do locally to help bring about the change we all want, and not just wait for Washington.

I hope that by getting people together, even if we did not know each other before the event, we will leave with some of the same warm feeling we had during the election, knowing there are many others like ourselves out there willing to actually walk the walk ...

Kiva

Made a loan today to Julia Carlos Alonso in Huaraz - Ancash, Peru. She is going to use this money to increase her product line in her store that she started for $25 US.

I met with a (new) science collaborator from Brazil today. She told me that Julia is now a popular name there, several of her friends have children called that. I don't know many Julia's. But I am finding a lot on Kiva!

Kiva

I made a loan to Julia Gutierrez De Caceres Group in Ayacucho, Peru. This group has 21 members and are beginning their 7th loan cycle. I'm thinking they are pretty reliable! Julia is a 53-year-old widow with two children. She has a stand in the newly-opened Americas Market, where she sells alfalfa and vegetables. She will use her loan to offer a wider variety of products.

Kiva - loan to Julia in Peru

I made a loan to Julia Ore Pozo in Ayacucho, Peru. She wants money to buy shoes to expand her shoe business. Her dreams are to own a permanent shoe stand.

I wonder if anyone else chooses Kiva loans based on the names of the entrepreneur matching their own? Am I a narcissistic philanderer?

Food bank

I donated some money to a few of our local food banks today for the holidays.

Los Angeles Regional Foodbank to pay for 220 meals (it was $55, what a deal!). And to
Union Rescue Mission where I also signed a Christmas card.

The food bank in LA had to turn away thousands of people at Thanksgiving because they ran out of food. I'm starting to see more people on the streets, and its going to get worse.

My own situation got worse this year, my household lost about 80% of its income for about 4 months. But we are back up to 70% of what we got last year, which is enough to pay the bills and buy some rice and beans. We tend to eat cheap so we can help others eat. Its also healthier!

Lots of Kiva loans

There were 1666 loans to choose from on Kiva today. I found two to Julia's - one to Julia Magaly Briceño Medina in La Esperanza - Trujillo, Peru. She is looking for a loan to purchase more inventory, clothing and candy. She is setting up a store in her house.





I also loaned to Julia Aurelia Par Par in Totonicapan, Guatemala, she makes traditional clothing. I love this picture with her loam. I am a weaver myself, I do tablet weaving. So its great to lend to a Julia who is a weaver in Guatemala. I wish I could purchase from her.

Education Generation and Food Drives

I suggested a food drive happen at my gym (Curves, go 6 days/week!) for our local holiday food drive. I've run into a few of the ladies who go there (its a woman's gym) helping sort and distribute food for the Foothill Unity Center, and I know we'll get a good response with donations. Curves usually does a food drive in all their gyms in March and its pretty successful. Food banks are really hurting this year - less donations and more need. Think about passing on some of your excess if you have any.

Education Generation (the new online non-profit to help kids in developing countries get educated) has a few students that need funding by Dec 20th. I donated to Amos Ouma, Fredrick Oyugi, Kennedy Ouma, Josephine Owuor, and Michael Oumo, all promising students from Kenya. You can help them too for $20. And helping a student ends up helping the family which helps the village and the townships and then the entire country. Its supporting the brightest and most ambitious students.

Kiva loan to Julia

I made a loan to Julia in Peru today.

Mrs. Julia belongs to "Banco Comunal "Espíritu Santo" of the Centro Poblado de Chimbo, District and Pronvice of Yunguyo-Puno. She is 34 years old and the mother of 6 school-going children, she is married and her husband works in the Valle de Ite where he grows chili. Both later sell the chili for a living. With the first loan from Manuela Ramos of S/.500.00 nuevos soles, she bought a small pig to be fattened and then sold in order to repay the loan. She has been working with the "Banco" for 1 year. Presently she buys chili in Desaguadero and sells it in Moquegua. With the loan of S/.1500.00 nuevos soles, to be repaid in 5 payments she will buy a "quintal" of chili.

loans to Julia

Back in the country, I made 4 kiva loans to Julia's.

Julia -
Julia -
Julia Irene Cardenas Melendez -
Julia Ore Pozo -

People Assisting the Homeless

I made a donation to PATH, and not just because they gave me a free ticket to watch the taping of CNN heroes! I think PATH is doing a fantastic job of helping homelessness, not just in Los Angeles but their model is being used by other cities. I know it must be effective when I ask street people if they know about PATH and they do!

The need for the food banks for Thanksgiving is sending a red flag that the amount of homelessness is about to increase. With economic times hard, and lots of homes in forclosure, its not surprising. Los Angeles has a HUGE problem with homelessness, and its about to get worse.

Obama said he would have a zero tolerance for homeless veterans. Taking them off the street and out of the shelters would really help eliminate some of the strains on the shelters. But of course, we need to do more.

I donate money to homeless organizations, and give out fleece blankets and toiletry kits to homeless who solitct funds on the street, and buy meals and gift cards when I see street people outside restaurants I'm going to eat at, and I try to make eye contact and say hi and treat them like they are human and deserving of grace. Sometimes, that helps them the most.

Schools in Africa

I helped support a friend-of-a-friend who are supporting a school in Africa - They are trying to raise enough money for a school in Mozambique. I like supporting people who do things, because it encourages them.


I also found out that my blog is on alltop.com. How flattering. I guess I should try to be more creative in my writing.

Tomorrow. Today I need to go work on a book chapter and science paper for my 'real job'.

Local Food Banking

I helped pack 1220 boxes of food for Thanksgiving yesterday. The event was at the Los Angeles arboretum and the food goes to local families through a local charity - Foothills Unity Center. The food will be distributed next week. I went with some Obama supporters, we have done it a few times before and decided to keep doing it as part of Obama's service. Its a lot of fun. The number of boxes needed this year is a lot more than last, last year we only did ~800.

Last night I went to the taping of CNN's heroes at the Kodak theatre. I got a complimentary ticket thanks to 'People Assisting the Homeless - PATH'. It was a great event, I enjoyed seeing all the stars (John Legend played!). The show will be airing next Thursday at 9pm on CNN.

Wallblank

I just bought a limited edition Wall Blank Art for Kiva (all proceeds go to Kiva loans) .

Thanks for leaving me a comment and telling me about it Jenn.

I have been busy writing a chapter for a book (on behavioral genetics) .

kiva loan

Made a loan today to a Julia in a group in Peru. The AYDEE LOVERA FLORES Group

Education Generation

I got facebook notification that there were loans needed filling by December for Education Generation, so I made two. Education Generation is a new non-profit that allows people to directly sponsor students in developing countries ($20 at a time). The students are very poor and would not get the chance to go without help. And helping one family member helps the entire family eventually, so this program can really do a lot of good for eliminating poverty in the world.

So if you think education is a good idea, and you happen to have $20 to spare, please stop by Education Generation and sponsor a few kids. And tell all your friends.

I sponsored Brian Orchien in Kenya, and Jawad Mushtaq in Pakistan today.

kiva loan

I made a loan to Central America today - Juana Del Carmen García Escobar needs to fix her roof.

Kiva loan

I made a loan today to the Felicia Candelario Group in Yamasa, Dominican Republic. Felicia sums it up wonderfully when she says she "hopes this new venture will be successful and will help her change her life and her children's."

Kiva has a lot of loans now. I am going to a Kiva campus meeting tomorrow at UCLA. Have no idea what its about but am hoping to get help with the Agent of Change event in LA in July. Hopefully we can pull something together with enough time.

Riding to Cure Cancer

I sponsored a friend today who is riding to cure cancer, from Montreal to Quebec City.

I've been busy working on an NIH grant proposal to find genes for epilepsy, and in getting Obama elected. After 22 months of active campaigning, its hard to believe its over and we won. There is still an awful lot of work to do though, and the president-elect is already asking for our input. And I asked for tickets to the swearing in ceremony so I can have a good party!

Obama campaign & Kiva

Donated to the Obama campaign, possibly for the last time. I also made a loan to Felicia Pacari Arcaya in Condurri, El Collao, Puno, Peru 'cause I really liked her hat.

Kiva Credit

Kiva had 448 loans! So I figured it was ok to use up all my credit. I made the following loans:

Item
Loan - Avancemos Juntas Group
Loan - Julia Yamileth Silva Márquez
Loan - Rosas Blancas Group
Loan - Flor De Amancay Group
Loan - Elena
Loan - Beatriz Gutierrez Llanos
Loan - Tekojoja Group
Loan - Julia Rosa
Loan - Delia
Loan - Pharmacy, clothes, bamboo weaving, noodles, fertilizer, and construction materials Group
Loan - Irania Del Socorro Mondragón Larios
Loan - Donilia Martinez Treminio
Loan - Casta María Espinoza
Loan - Elizabeth Karina Potocarrero Gonsalez
Loan - Elena Marisol Lozano Moreno
Loan - Mujeres Unidas Group
Loan - San Miguel Group
Loan - Meak Sarom
Loan - Adjowa Dangbui
Loan - Loeny So Viet
Loan - Vusale Abilova
Loan - La Union Hace la Fuerzas Group
Loan - Gloria Vega Barrera
Loan - Maria Candelaria Martinez Puente
Loan - Maria Del Refugio Hernandez De La Rosa
Loan - Luisa Garcia Hernandez
Loan - Carmen Atencio De Choque
Loan - Lucia Almada

Phone Card for GIs through USO

I bought a phone card today through USO for a GI to call home. Supporting the troops.

Obama, Kiva, Life

Only 4 more days left of the longest campaign ever. Or at least the longest I've been involved with. This is actually the first political campaign I have been so active in. And I attended my first meeting 3 days after he announced he was running, and have been working every spare hour I have since. Twenty months. What a long, strange trip its been.

I remember, at the beginning, I had also just started doing work for Kiva and used to dream that I was trying to get Obama elected president of Kiva. At the time, Obama was a long shot, and Kiva was new and untested, but I had faith that both were good ideas.

Speaking of Kiva, my Kiva video "What does $25 Mean to You"? will be on PBS on a show called "With Purpose:Going from Success to Significance in Work and Life". They found it on youtube and asked to use it. I'm quite flattered, its the first or second video I ever made.


I made a loan today to

Housni

for his salon in Bekaa, Lebanon.

More loans, still sick

Made a few Kiva loans, still trying to use all the credits. Sorry for the brevity.. Loan - Nikolina Surla
Loan - Rabia Ashfaq Group
Loan - Nancy Chavez Garcia
Loan - Olena Haratidze
Loan - Maria Isabel Gomez Flores
Loan - Nhor So
Loan - Nancy La Cerna De Huamachumo

kiva

I've been sick, but made a few kiva loans today.

I'll make this prettier later!

Loan - Dilorom Abduazizova	$25.00	1	$25.00
Loan - Mavluda Makhmudova	$25.00	1	$25.00
Loan - Sam Sokrath	$25.00	1	$25.00
Loan - Bushra M.mushtaq	$25.00	1	$25.00
Loan - Sothavy Thorn Group	$25.00	1	$25.00
Loan - Liceth Torres Guevara	$25.00	1	$25.00
Loan - Socheat Im	$25.00	1	$25.00
Loan - Oksana Burkovskaya	$25.00	1	$25.00
Loan - Nataliya Repnaya	$25.00	1	$25.00
Loan - Yolanda Aragon Villalta	$25.00	1	$25.00
Loan - Rahbarjon Atoeva	$25.00	1	$25.00
Loan - Valentina Tsybulko	$25.00	1	$25.00
Loan - Nelly	$25.00	1	$25.00
Loan - Tarcila	$25.00	1	$25.00
Loan - Zainab	$25.00	1	$25.00
Loan - Miza Abdalla	$25.00	1	$25.00
Loan - Hussein	$25.00	1	$25.00
Loan - Oswaldo Quispe Mamani	$25.00	1	$25.00
Loan - Carmen Canto Castro	$25.00	1	$25.00
Loan - Olga Quispe Quispe	$25.00	1	$25.00
Loan - Rabia M.sohail Akhtar Group	$25.00	1	$25.00
Loan - Magdalena Pongo Vilcahuaman	$25.00	1	$25.00
Kiva Donation	$55.00	1	$55.00

OrderPopcorn.com

I ordered some popcorn to help a friend's son's cub scout group. I got a variety pack that I'll give to a friend, and send off a package to the military. It was a great option.

Kiva loans and Obama

I've been donating and calling for Obama. Its been a long, strange trip, but it looks like its working.

I made a few Kiva loans today to use up credit. Still have a bit more to go. Been real busy lately...

Blogging

Someone just told me that it is a 'blog action day' and bloggers are encouraged to blog about poverty. I didn't realize there was a 'blog action day'. I also don't really consider myself a blogger, even though I have several blogs that I post to regularly. This blog, for example, is more of a collection of what I did that was 'good' so I can keep track and remind myself to keep doing it. It in no way reflects that fact that I spend most of my days writing (as an academic). In fact one of my friends actually asked me if this really was my blog, because it was so poorly written. And I do apologize for that. I do not spend a lot of time constructing my words. I decided when I started this that I was not going to do that, it would impede my ability and desires to post daily and maintain my philanthropic actions. The pictures, links, and short content I do is time consuming enough.

kiva loans

I made a few kiva loans today too, still have lots of credit to use up but they are still running out of loans. What a great thing!

Rahib Allahverdiyev ,Clothing Sales, Azerbaijan, Emin Imanov ,Clothing Sales, Azerbaijan, Danilo José Pérez , Spare Parts, Nicaragua, Cristo Rey Group Retail, Paraguay, Nuth Kimny Grocery Store, Cambodia, Nazira Sodikjonova, Clothing Sales, Tajikistan, Tran Thi Oanh Agriculture, Viet Nam, Pham Thi Thuy , Fruits & Vegetables, Viet Nam, Angel from Bolivia, and 3 more.

kiva

Made a few Kiva loans today, to Maria Auxiliadora Group, Naciones Unidas Group, Mujeres Activas Group, Libertador Group, and Mujeres Emprendedoras de Tacumbu Group. They came up when I did a search on Julia.

kiva loans

I made two loans to Kiva tonight. They only had two loans. One was to Nuth Kimny in Kampong Cham Province, Cambodia for his grocery store, the other to Santa Andrea Ajpop Alvarez in Totonicapan, Guatemala for her store.

Kiva

I couldn't resist this loan to Nazira Sodikjonova in Rudaki, Tajikistan. She just looks like so much fun, I want to help her out.

I also made a donation to planned parenthood today.

Education Generation

I made a donation to Arumainayagam in Kalmunai, Sri Lanka. He has one more year of engineering school left.

Education Generation

I donated today to the education of Miss Bakhtawar in Ratwal, Pakistan. She is 13 and needs $100 for her tuition for this year. She wants to be a professional nurse.

Sesame Street.

I donated to the Sesame Street Workshop today. I like the work they do in teaching kids about tolerance and understanding. Muppets are great. BTW there is a great Muppet exhibition at the Smithsonian, I saw it last month. Its in the gallery beside the castle.

I'm going to save my Kiva credits till they get more loans. Did I mention that already?

AIDS walk

I sponsored a friend for a walk-a-thon to raise money for AIDS. Please consider sponsoring her, she is young (19) and the type of person who has a lot of energy and passion and would probably do a lot more volunteer work if encouraged, especially by strangers. Not, of course, that anyone is strange.

Travels and Kiva

I just got back from a great vacation in Atlantic Canada; Nova Scotia, P.E.I., New Brunswich, Quebec and Ontario. Beautiful country.

I made 6 Kiva loans today, I bid on all that were available. five were to people in Peru; Guadalupe, Emiliana , Nancy, Esther, and Frida, and Dinh Thi Nhuong from Viet nam.

Kiva loans

Kiva is still running out of loans because of their new partial credit refunding, but I got in on a few. I still have lots of Kiva credit to use.

Lorenzo Och Tambriz -
Modupe Agboola -

Oluwashehun Oguniyi -

Bello Fausat -
Zilghian Julissa Mora Morlaes -
Fatou Diouf -
Fatou Ndiaye -
Kamil Osmanov -
Lilliam Isabel Gadea Rodas -
Héctor José Gámez Cardenal -
Ahmad Bahronov -
Fatimon Ajani -

Southern Poverty Law Center

I made my yearly donation to the Southern Poverty Law Center today. They send me vial, horrible stuff that makes me ill when I read it. They fight hatred and bigotry in this country, so their newsletters are full of the stories they helped, and the horrible people they expose. I think if I was to define evil it would be the hatred one can feel towards a fellow human. For whatever reason. Usually its because of looks or ethnic group or religious beliefs. Nothing substantial. The hatred is unfounded and a symptom of the person, not the hated group.

Injustice makes me very sad, and is one of the driving forces that inspires me to change things in the world. The Southern Poverty Law Center is one of the best non-profits against injustice, and does incredible work. Check them out. Learn how much we have to change in the USA.

Education Generation, Kiva

Yesterday I donated to Lgitharaj Shanmuganathan for his education in Kalmunai, Sri Lanka. Education Generation is a great new non-profit, please check it out and tell all your friends.

I seem to have a lot of Kiva credit and will be making many loans today. Great timing as I am going out of the country in a few days, for 2 weeks. I won't be blogging but I will continue to try to help make things better, not worse.

My new Kiva loans include - Loan Thi Nguyen in Ninh Giang, Viet Nam,

Firudun Mehraliyev in Fuzuli region, Azerbaijan

Nakaweesi, Tusuubira Group in Lugazi, Uganda

Trabajando Para el Futuro Group in Samana, Dominican Republic

La Bendición Group in Hato Mayor, Dominican Republic

Maria Auxiliadora Altamirano Ubeda in Chontales, Nicaragua

Deyanira Aragón Lainez in Managua, Nicaragua

Matluba Kaumova in Shahrinav, Tajikistan

Juan Locuor in San Lorenzo, Paraguay

Román Jara business - Despensa y Carniceria Ña Julia - from Caaguazú, Paraguay

Alejandra Alvarez Villa Elisa, Paraguay

Amavi Délali Baeta in Adidogomé, Togo

Koffi Mawuli Abidonou in Agoe, Togo

Fajri Zain Khan Group Kot Radha Kishan, Pakistan

Habiba Ashburieva in Tursun-zoda, Tajikistan

Education Generation

Today I helped out two students in developing countries through a new program called Education Generation. Its co-founded by a friend of mine (Shawn Smith), who also founded Agents of Change.

I am supporting Marleni: Marleni wishes to study computer science, but comes from a farming family with 11 siblings (ages: 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 21, 24, 26, 28). The costs of a post secondary education are impossible for her family to contemplate. This scholarship will pay the $500 tuition fee for Marleni and provide for her housing expenses of $500 for the entire year in shared housing with other scholarship recipients. “I would like to become a professional so that I can make something of myself and help my little siblings and parents. I would like to become a professional so that I can excel and stand out from the poor.”

I am also supporting Mohamed Aniffa Muthazar. Aniffa has been offered a place to study commerce, a monumental achievement for someone from his village, and his dream is to get his family back on their feet. There are no university fees in Sri Lanka but the student must pay for books, accommodation, meals and other expenses. These are way beyond his family's means.

changing the world by searching

I set up the igive search bar on my firefox browser and have been raising money by using their search. The money is going to kiva loans (in the kivashop group) and will be constantly re-lent. Its a good way to change the world.

Made a loan to Julia Justina Ponce in Managua, Nicaragua.

Mrs Julia Ponce is a 51 year old woman living in barrio 380 in Managua. She is divorced, with a 19 year old daughter and a 7 year old son. The children's father provides support for them. She has a small store in a room in her home, which she began 7 years ago by selling ice and ice cream. She used her last loan to improve her home, and she will use this loan to improve her business. With the money that she is requesting she plans to purchase basic grains and cleaning products to stock her business and to meet the needs of her customers in the neighborhood. This is a very poor neighborhood, and people purchase their daily needs in the small stores. For this reason,Juila must keep her store stocked with products so that her customers do not lose faith in her.

I've been donating to the Obama campaign and watching his nomination with glee. Many, many months of hard work paying off.

Kiva groups

Kiva has a new feature - groups. I joined the Kiva Shopping club group, where portions of online purchases are donated to the group when you use igive.com. I've raised a couple of hundred dollars for them already, just doing my usual online shopping. (it helps that travelocity is a member of igive!).

I made two Kiva loans today, one to Julia Vallejo Meneses in Ayacucho, Peru, the other to Julia Justina Ponce in Managua, Nicaragua.

magazines for vets and blankets and kiva

I dropped off magazines at the Veterans Hospital on Wednesday, and today dropped off a few bags of fabric to a group who will be making blankets for babies delivered to mom's who have substance abuse. I also dropped off a few bags of things to Good Will. Its better for the environment and our society, to share things.

Made a Kiva loan today to Kosar Abdul Majeed's Group in Kasur, Pakistan and Volver a Empezar Group in El Alto / La Paz, Bolivia

kiva

Made a loan today to Juana Huanco Mamani in Juliaca, Peru. Juana's hope is to increase her supply of capital and generate more income. She thinks that once this project is realized, she'll finally be able to begin construction on the house that is her family's dream.

kiva and relatives

I've been busy with out of town relatives visiting, but today I made a few Kiva loans.

One to Juliana Ecloo in Tema, Ghana who is my age (42) and wants to help her charcoal business.

I also made a loan to Julia Arguello in Luque, Paraguay for her business of selling sweets.

The third loan I made was to the Juliana's Harakati Group of 4 members in Arusha, Tanzania.

New loan

Made a loan today to San Jose Group in Ayacucho, Peru.

The San Jose Village Bank is a new bank recently initiated with eighteen members. The members are from the Yanamilla neighborhood located thirty minutes from the city of Ayacucho, where many of them migrated to the city or settled (without land title) on land where many do not have basic services. The members have different businesses such as selling vegetables, meats, food, ice cream, firewood, groceries, clothing, fruit, and cereal. Every member has a different story. For instance, Vilma is a single mother with a six-month-old son. Vilma sells firewood in her house and with her loan she will start a project to sell CDs and disks. On the other hand, Julia travels every week to the Ayacuchan Jungle where she sells vegetables, traveling on Thursdays and returning on Sundays. Also, Hayde sells sachipapas (sausage and fries) streetside in the center of Ayacucho with the help of her husband. She has her business on the weekends from six at night to five in the morning. The bank members need varying amounts of loans, ranging from 300, 600 up to 900 soles, and totaling 9,300 Peruvian Nuevos Soles to be lent to the village bank. The loans will be invested to buy noodles, firewood, disks, cooking oil, potatoes, beans, oats, corn, vegetables, and clothing. The dreams of the bank members are to buy their own cars to rent out as taxis, construct their homes, to provide a good education and sustenance for their children, to expand their businesses, and that their children may become professionals.

kiva loan

looks like Kiva loans aren't being posted to facebook anymore. I hope its just temporarily down, I liked seeing them in my newsfeed.

I made a loan today to Viviano Julián Mendoza Torres, a farmer in Peru. He wants to buy seed for more products. I want him to have a better, easier life. He works hard and should be rewarded for it.

addtional payment

I was half asleep today and made a loan to the group I already made a loan to Amazonas II Group. Oh well, they will get funded faster.

Traveling makes me tired. Back in the country for a bit.

kiva

Found this loan searching on my sister's name. Sounds superficial, but I find everyone is worthy. I wish I could help them all.

This loan is to Kiyinki B1 south d Group in Bugiri, Uganda for various enterprises.

Amina is joined in her small group by Lydia Kyazike, Rose Nabwire, Hadija Namutamba, and Hadijah Eya. Lydia Kyazike has a business in paraffin sales and wants to expand her business. Rose Nabwire is currently operating a business selling shoes and clothes and wants a loan to add more to her shoe business. Hadija Namutamba operates a public pay phone business and wants to purchase more credit cards and another phone. Hadijah Eya is currently in the business of selling clothes and is requesting a loan to increase stock.

I am traveling again tomorrow for a few days (Toronto, Canada) but will be trying to change the world from where ever I am. Can't hurt to try.