Kiva and Obama

I spent a few hours yesterday at a local Voter Registration Event run by Obama supporters. It was a lot of fun, we had a much higher turn out than expected. I got to see some old friends (including my friend Patrick O'Connor who just filmed a Monk episode - look for him soon as one of the 'bad' guys).


I made two Kiva loans today, both chosen because they were 'old'. I hope they get funded. I haven't had a loan not fund yet, I'm not sure if Kiva has.

One Kiva loan was to Pablo Rodriguez Regalado for his house construction in Mexico, the other was to Silvano Chaparro for his general store in San Lorenzo, Paraguay.

kiva

I made two kiva loans today, one to Rommy Cristhian López in Chinandega, Nicaragua for her store, the other to Andrea De Los Santos De Res in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico for a construction loan. Both loans are almost over, and I hope they get funded.

helping lady in Bolivia

Today I made a loan to 'Lady' in Bolivia for her shoe store. She wants to buy more shoes. Go figure. I wish her all the success in the world.

Kiva loans

I made a few kiva loans today, and enjoyed the new Kiva check out process.

My first loan was to the Estreallas group, they are the oldest loan. They are a group in El Alto / La Paz, Bolivia They are building a stall for their retail goods with these funds.

I also made a loan to the Solemba Self-Help Group in Bungoma, Kenya.


And to Miguel Garcete for his store in Caacupe, Paraguay.

Two loans

I made two kiva loans today. One was to Yolanda in Peru for her clothing business, my friend Kay sent me that link. The other loan was to Nabweru North B Group for various endeavors in Nansana, Uganda.

first loan

I made a Kiva loan today to the first listing I saw, it was just perfect - Guatemalan women (one named Julia), from a remote area, wearing traditional garb. Corazon de Oro I Group is from a town called El Jaibalito located on the shores of Atitlan Lake. El Jaibalito is a small town located on a very steep hill. Almost all homes are located on the mountain slope. This small town is not connected to other neighboring towns by any roads due to the mountainous terrain and the volcanoes, which make it difficult to build a road. You can only reach the town by boat.

Reaching very far

The Kiva loan I made today was to the women of the Patzutzun 2 Group in Guatemala. I am going to post the entire KIVA story, because it really shows how Kiva (and the Microfinance institutute Friendship Bridge) are reaching out to people and really changing their lives. I'm sure they have a different world view now, knowing how many gringos are helping them.

The women of the Patzuntzun II group live in the remote village of Concepcion in the Solola province. Only a few of the women in this group can speak Spanish. This however does not hinder them in their success of their businesses, since they do speak the local language Maya Kachikel very well. Many of the women were intimidated by my presence at the beginning of the interview and they were shy since they had never seen a “gringo” in their village before, but as time went by and thanks to credit agent Marta Julia they were more trusting and were able to share some of their experiences.

Six of the women in this group are businesswomen, and they will invest their credit loan in their small convenience stores. One of the women, Maria Tereza Solis is going to invest her loan in the sale of firewood. Thanks to her loan she will be able to buy twice the amount she used to buy and hopes that this way her business can grow.

The other women in the group work in the textile sector. They weave traditional fabrics. Of the four artisans, two of the women hire weavers as help. Marcela Solis actually has three employees in order to meet with the demand of her clients. Meanwhile, Lucia Lupic, is one of the oldest women, hires six weavers.

Friendship Bridge is currently offering all the women a savings account. The women told me that they were thankful to the institution for finally being able to have a place where they could keep their money. They will use their money to invest in their businesses. They want to reinvest their entire money into their businesses. Another reason why they are so happy with the institution is that it is one of the few or the only one that offers their community financial services. When the women were asked why they chose to work with Friendship Bridge they said because they had never heard of other institutions in their community.

The women wish that their businesses will be able to grow and this way they can have a stable business that will support them and their families.

kiva

Made a loan today to a small group in Arusha, Tanzania - Ruth Esuvat's group. They sell clothes and charcoal and soap, and make about $140 a month.

Helping Lydia in Ghana

I made a Kiva loan today to Lydia Ainno, to help her business.

Construction in Mexico

Made a loan today to Teodora Bautista Cristóbal who wants to borrow money to build a house in Mexico. She's already started. Housing is so different in the developing countries, they tend to build houses themselves and pay for them in advance. We tend to move into ready builds and finance them for 30 years (or more). I couldn't imagine what it would be like to have to come up with the funds for a house before you move in. Many people can't even come up with 5 or 10 percent downpayment.

So I wish Teodora the best of luck and I hope she gets her loan funded.

House Construction

I made a loan today to Antony, married to Julia!

Antony Insfran is married to Julia Arguello. The couple lives in Luque with his four sons: Edgar (14), Jonhatan (12), Juan (11) and Luz (9). Since Antony has a big family, he needs to work very hard to feed them and to send his four children to school.

Twenty years ago, Antony started working in construction as a director. Today, he maintains the position. Antony has become a client of Fundacion Paraguaya when he contacted his friends and convinced them to form a committee of entrepreneuring men called “San Miguel”. Because of his punctual repayments in previous loans, Antony is considered a very trustworthy costumer by Fundacion Paraguaya.

Antony’s biggest wish is to finish the construction of his house. That is why he is requesting the credit.

Kiva Rocks

I made a loan today to Ana Julia Rivas in Managua, Nicaragua for her clothing business. So far there are two of us helping her out, and the loan has been around 3 days or so.

I remembered to bring my old magazines in to the VA last week.

Kiva

I made a Kiva loan today to Emin Muradov, in Beylagan, Azerbaijan. He runs a taxi business and needs to buy spare parts to repair his car. I know its really hard to get loans in Azerbaijan, Normico
has been operating there for a while and they have more loans than funds.

404 loans on Kiva

For the first time I'm seeing over 400 loans on Kiva. I think that's great, more people to help. I decided to loan to one of the oldest loans, its been around for 10 days. Ilgar Quliyev is in Bilasuvar, Azerbaijan and wants a loan to increase his clothing business.

Ángel in Peru

Angel works constantly to create a source of income through sales of collectable books and a variety of kitchen utensils. With lots of perseverance he is able to find unique items in Lima and, as a street vendor, sell them in Juliaca city.

Agustina in Peru

Made a loan today to help Agustina in Peru. She sells fruits and vegetables.

3 month loan

I loaned to the Glady Ayala's group in Paraguari, Paraguay today, and noticed it was only for 3 months. This is a group of women who have lots of ideas to help make their lives better. I wish them all the success.

Julia's and Hats

I choose a Kiva loan today based on doing a search on "julia" and choosing the loan with the ladies wearing hats. My loan was to the 'Female Workers Group" in Bolivia. There are many Kiva loans to choose from now, and everyone is so deserving.

El Buen Futuro ( A good future) Group

I made a loan today to El Buen Futuro ( A good future) Group, because it was the oldest listed and the ladies all looked so excited.

Group loans in Peru

I made a loan to another large group in Peru - Sagrado Corazón de Jesús Group.

Kiva in Peru

I am the first lender to the Perseverancia Group in Ayacucho, Peru (Julia is a member).

They have some great dreams. The members’ dreams are for their businesses to grow, their children to become professionals, and have their own homes. I wish them success in all their en devours.

spare parts

I made a loan on the oldest loan - 14 months for spare parts in Azerbaijan. Vazir Asadov has a shop and wants a loan for spare parts.

I got interviewed for Kiva today and was asked how I choose my loans. Searching by Julia or the oldest or what catches my fancy was my basic reply. So many great loans...

kiva loan

Made a kiva loan to the Palave en Accion Group.

first loan I saw

Made a loan today to a cobbler in Tarkwa, Ghana.

Francis is thirty years old and he needs additional capital to buy more leather and glue to make shoes and slippers. He hopes to start savings to help with his three children’s education and also to register and become a member of the Government’s health insurance scheme. Francis is a member of the group called Nyame ne ye Boafo (meaning "God is our Helper"). Members agree to guarantee for each other as social collateral to repay the loan.

Older loan

To find a Kiva loan today, I sorted by age and chose one of the older loans. It has 14 days left. Its for $1200 and 18 months, and he is a repeat borrower. I'm thinking that's why its not as popular. But I'm sure it will get funded.

Ismail Movludov is a 51-year-old trader who keeps a small store where he sells men's clothes, shells and other items.

I made a loan today to the Molino Belen Group through Kiva.org. They want to do a variety of things including embroidery and weaving. I hope Guatemalan fashion becomes very popular in North America. I'm helping the trend - I wear woven clothes all the time (including right now, I'm in Guatemalan shorts!).

kiva

Made a loan today to Alton Fernando Nelson Hamilton in Nicaragua for his traveling business. I'm off traveling again too - going to Canada for a few days. I'll still be trying to make the world a better place.

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.