More cheesemakers in Peru

I really love cheese. To be honest, its the only food I really love. My favorite meals are 'melted cheese'. In just about any form.

So its thrilling to me to lend to cheesemakers. Today I loaned to a group of cheesmakers, who are coming together to increase their cheese production. The Communal Manzanayocc Bank is new, but it looks like there are productive, hardworking people in it. Good luck. the world needs more cheese.

cheesemaking in Peru

This loan jumped out at me, it was first on the list but I had to get in on it. Cheese making in Peru.

The little village of Santa Rosa is a true Eden for agriculture and cattle production and Juanita’s family improves their lives and gets the greatest benefits possible from mother nature. In the company of her beloved husband she works in agriculture, cattle production, and cheese production, which is her latest economic activity thanks to the milk that her sweet calves produce. Her performance of these noble activities allows her to offer security, well-being and education to her 7 dear children, who are the motor that pushes her to move forward. While Santiago takes care of the animals with the help of their children, Juanita works selling the delicious cheeses that she produces with much care and patience for the satisfaction of her clients’ tastes. Now this happy couple would like to buy a calf to expand their milk supply in order to increase the volume of their cheese production.

Julia in Peru

Made a Kiva loan to a Julia in Peru today - Julia Torres Pancorbo. She wants to expand her business and needs capital.

There are brush fires burning near my home tonight, they evacuated up to 3 streets away. Praying the winds stay calm.

Kiva

Made a loan today to Gumercinda for her traveling sales business in Peru. She seems like quite the entrepreneur and I'm glad I'm able to help.

Kiva

I made a loan today to Ruben Botello Soto in Mexico, so he can build fences in his back yard and have some privacy. Its a personal loan and a lot of Kiva lenders don't like them as well, but I'm just glad my money is being used to make someone's life better. Even if I'm not sure fences do that, but its not my choice. I like my very private backyard.

Weaving

I found a weaving loan by searching on Julia, Balbina makes beautiful chullos (Peruvian Andean hats), gloves and scarves that are sold wholesale in the market San Jose of the city of Juliaca.

Used clothing in Ghana

I made a loan today to Doris Dwomoh for her used clothing business in Ghana. Sure does seem to be a popular profession. Strange to think that used clothes get shipped from North America for sale in developing countries. Wonder how often they get shipped back to the country they were made in?

Cereal in Africa

I made a loan today to Afiwa Togneogna Awoussi in Adidogomé, Togo. She is asking for her first loan of 450,000 FCFA to purchase 10 sacks of corn and 6 sacks of millet.

City of Hope

I made a donation today to City of Hope, one of the leading Cancer hospitals. It is also local, and I have always thought I might end up there. So I'm not entirely sure how altruistic my donation really is! Of course I could argue that I want to make the world a better place because I want to live in a better world.

Kiva

I made a Kiva loan that I choose based on age of loan, this one had been around for a week and has only 18 days to get funded.

Maria Magdalena Rodriguez Gomez is in Mexico and wants money to increase her clothing business.

Kiva loans - lots to choose from.

Mr. Julián Mamani Mamani lives in his own home in the Fabril area of El Alto city with his wife, Mrs. Pabla Surco, and their daughter. Julián works as a public transportation driver and his wife is employed as a domestic employee in the city of La Paz. The loan he seeks will be used to demolish an old home made of adobe which because of its age is in danger of collapsing, and then construct a new home of brick in the same location. This is the sixth loan and the socioeconomic analysis qualifies him favorably to access this line of credit. Julián has been a client of Impro since 2000.

Kiva loan to Kenya

In honour of Barack Obama's ancestry, I made another loan to Keyna. The loan is to the Mahanga Fanikiwa Self-Help Group.

Kiva loans

I sorted on 'old to new' loans at Kiva and choose some old loans, 10 days or so. Kiva has 291 loans which is the most I have seen in a while. So now is a good time to invest!

One of my loans was to Davlatbiby Haitova. Davlatbiby Salimovna Haitova lives in the town of Tursun-zoda. She wants to expand her clothing business.

The other loan was to Emiliano Nuñez for his store in Mariano R. Alonso, Paraguay

Double Kiva loan

I loaned to Lidia in Juliaca, Peru today twice, to get the facebook feed. Lidia has a great name and is interested in expanding her clothing business.

I donated money today to Steven Colbert's Celebrate The Democralypse!

When Stephen Colbert ran for president, supporters donated $66,000 to South Carolina classrooms in his honor. Do Senators Clinton and Obama have the keystones to do for the Keystone State what the Colbert Nation did for the Palmetto State? Let's find out.

I am helping donate money for 'One flew over the cuckoos nest' reading. For Obama of course.

kiva loans

I made a few Kiva loans today, to a Julia Daysi Reyes Morales in Chontales, Nicaragua, and to Antonio Calamaco Castro in Mexico.

taxes

Wrote two large checks to the federal and state governments for taxes today. It is good because it means I have been blessed with making lots of income this year. But its depressing because a lot of our taxes are going to war.

So I tried to counter some of my mis feelings by donating to non-profits.

I renewed my membership in the National Museum on the American Indian, the Student Conservation Association, Sesame Workshop, SPCALA, Habitat for Humanity, Union of Concerned Scientists, Futures for Children, ACCION, Doctors without Borders, and Union Rescue Mission (one of our local shelters). And donated to the Washington, DC Martin Luther King, JR. National Memorial Project when I checked my foundation membership status. They need $10 million more to begin work.

US National Slavery Museum

I donated to the new US National Slavery Museum and will be a founding member. They really need donations, and the USA really needs this museum.

I have been fascinated by slavery ever since I was a young girl growing up in Montreal. I read all I could on the topic, I just couldn't understand how people could treat other people that way, how they could justify it. I used to wonder what I would do if I grew up then, what it would be like to be a slave, or a slave owner, or the daughter of a slave owner. I never really understood how people could be so mean to each other. I still don't.

Harriet Tubman was one of my mentors and heroes. I still think her bravery is incredible. Its one thing to do the right thing when you don't have time to think about what else to do. Its easy to be a hero in an instant. But to live a heroes life is incredible. She kept going back to the south to bring out slaves, knowing what her life would be like if she got caught. She would have had many, many hours and days and movements where it would have been so easy for her to stop and walk away and live a normal life. No one would have blamed her for stopping, she had already done so much. But she kept going. She inspires courage.

Meetings and Kiva

I have just returned from Columbus, Ohio, I was invited to give a talk to the American Association of Physical Anthropologists. It was an interesting meeting.

I made a Kiva loan today to a group in Bolivia (that has a member called Julia). They are in El Alto / La Paz, Bolivia. They affirm that they need the capital to be able to buy raw materials and special machinery to make their products and thereby achieve a better quality. That way their businesses will be prosperous for them and their families.

Kiva

Another loan in Juliaca, Peru, to Nancy for her business.

kiva

New kiva loan from a search on 'weaving'.

As a good father that has to care for the well-being and security of his family, Edilberto has found himself with the need to postpone his university studies and start working so that his dear, young wife and daughter not have economic difficulties. With the savings that he has and the money that his parents have given him, he decided to buy his work tool in order to provide transportation services to the population of Juliaca. Since his dear wife Celia, who cares for their baby, also wishes to help with the expenses of their new household she is planning on buying a weaving machine in order to make beautiful garments of clothing and generate extra income to cover the basic necessities of the household. Your contribution will help to make real the project of this young couple.

kiva loans

I made two Kiva loans today, one to Zoila Azucena Cruz Guido to improve her residence in Chontales, Nicaragua, and the other to Nelly Carbajal Panduro in Morales - San Martín, Peru for her business.

Kiva loans

Made a few new Kiva loans today. One was to Rita Mercado Calapuja in Juliaca, Peru, to help her with her fruit and vegetable business.

The other was to Cesar Eli Martinez Cabrera, for a personal loan to help improve his house. He is a surgeon and his wife is a lawyer, so its a pretty good risk!