You may recall that I am undergoing a 35 gift challenge— giving 35 gifts to others as my 35th birthday approaches.
Gift 3 was a Kiva loan. Last year, as part of my birthday goal list, I decided to make a Kiva loan. Kiva is a micro-finance organization that allows individuals to partner with others who all lend a small amount individually (which can add up to a significant amount together) to help enterpreneurs around the globe obtain a loan to start or buoy their business. You are repaid your original loan amount fairly quickly and Kiva gives you the option of cashing out or reusing that $25 to finance someone else. I had forgotten that I had money in my Kiva account that I could reloan and so, today, I reloaned that amount to a group of 8 female entrepreneurs in Mali. Because nearly three out of four of the world’s poor are women and girls, these female entrepreneur groups can make a dramatic impact.
Gift 4 was volunteering to drive people to the polls. I love the democratic process– voting chokes me up everytime. I relish the process and want others to have the opportunity to appreciate how amazing it is, too.
Hi Moli,
This reminds me that I have a Kiva credit that I need to use. Tell me the name and I will contribute to the same woman. My gift to you. I hope all is well. I love your blog btw.
Joy Blackmon
Joy!
How sweet are you. I just looked and my group raised all their funds, but there are some new entrepreneurs on there with amazing stories. Let me know if you pick one out– I can plug it here to see if we can get a few other people to contribute so that their loan is raised!
Love, Moli