KIVA is an awesome way to help people to help themselves without stretching your own budget. Basically, you loan someone US$25 and they pay it back. At that point you can reloan the money to someone else or take it back.
Kiva is a great way to help people without breaking the bank, primarily because when you put money into this organisation it doesn’t disappear. You get to control where it goes and who it helps. Plus, the money you lend to someone gets repaid so then you can lend it out again.
The best thing about KIVA is that you can keep giving the same money again and again. As the loan is repaid it is credited to your account and you can lend it to someone else.