Information about KIVA
KIVA is a website that allows people to lend small amounts of
money (called microloans) over the internet to people in developing
countries who need the help.
The loans start at $25 and the borrower will slowly start paying the
loan back. Then you can reloan the money to a different borrower. On the
website KIVA includes personal stories about each borrower, which
include why the want the loan and what they are going to do with the
loan.
KIVA is built like this to connect the
lenders with the entrepreneurial borrowers on a human level. As of March
31, 2012, KIVA has distributed $300,209,450 in loans from 744,558
lenders. A total of 390,791 loans have been funded through Kiva. Kiva's
current repayment rate for all its partners is 98.94%.
Kiva has a strong emphasis on supporting
women and over 80% of their loans are made to women entrepreneurs.
Women tend to suffer the most from poverty as the small amount of
resources a family might receive are often given to the males of the
family rather than the females. Women are able to empower themselves,
educate their children, improve their lives and become self-sufficient
through the investments given by Kiva lenders.
Our KIVA 'Business'
The e-Club Board is organising a committee of young members to
manage a KIVA business as their service project. The committee will be
mentored by successful business people from the e-Club and progress
reports will be submitted by the committee regularly to the Board.
The committee will create a profile on KIVA and will start to choose particular borrowers to lend money to.
Naturally all members are encouraged to have a look at the website and
read through the different borrowers. It is also possible if you’re
interested, to join the committee that is going to be choosing the
borrowers to lend to. We will always be looking for input into who we
should lend our money to.
For more information please contact our e-Club KIVA Director: Lauren Jewson