We Help A Mother In Ghana Buy Horrible Looking Fish

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Ever wanted to make a difference?

This is how we do it here in the Devereaux household – we lend money to perfect strangers in foreign countries so they can make a better life for themselves and their families.

That’s right, this is a loan to someone, not a gift. And then, once the money is repaid, we lend it out to someone else. It’s a hand, not a hand out.

One of the most satisfying steps in the whole endeavour is choosing who will be the recipient of our latest US$25 (lots of people put up US$25 each to make up the whole loan).

Better still, you can take your money back once it’s repaid if you find the Kiva thing isn’t for you 🙂

This month I’m highlighting a loan our family has made to a woman in Ghana. She wants more fish to sell so she can make more money for her family. Personally, I struggle to see how she can sell any of those dreadful looking fish in the pic, but apparently there’s a market for these there. Go figure.

Here’s what Kiva had to say on Ekua’s application:

“Due to difficult circumstances, Ekua did not have access to any form of formal education, yet this has not stopped her from achieving her dream of becoming an entrepreneur. Currently, Ekua sells salted and smoked fish in Apewosika (near Cape Coast). She has been doing so for about seven years. As a widow with six children, Ekua uses all her income to feed and provide for her family. Ekua will use the loan to purchase an increased amount of fish, which will aid her in improving her overall sales. Ekua wants to use the future profits from her expanded business to ensure that all her children are able to receive an education.”

Try the Kiva experience for free. That’s right, you can sign up and go through the process of looking at the loans people need in countries like Uganda or Peru and actually choose someone to lend money to, and someone else (a Kiva ambassador) will put up the $25 for your loan. If you then find you love it as much as our family does, you can then consider if you want to contribute your own money and make more loans. FREE TRIAL

If you like the idea but you can’t contribute yourself at the moment, that’s okay too: I was a member of Kiva for nearly a year before I put in my own money. I would ask, though, to consider sharing this link with your friends so they can see if it’s something they’d like to have a look at 🙂

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When not over here, Bruce Devereaux hangs out at his Big Family Little Income Facebook Page. Come join us 🙂

 “Raising a family on little more than laughs.”

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