Our monthly Kiva repayments are in and this month it was Master9’s chance to pick someone to help through this wonderful institution.
I asked him if he wanted to pick by country, gender or what the loan was for.
“What’s gender?” he asked me.
“Their sex,” I said. And then, when he looked horrified I added, “It just means boy or girl.”
“I don’t care about that,” he said. “Let’s chose by country.”
I pulled up the list of countries Kiva works in: Countries like India, Bolivia, Nigeria, Peru, Uganda, Zambia or Togo.
“That one!” said Master9, pointing excitedly at the screen. “Colombia. That’s my soccer team.”
Actually, he plays for Columbia, but close enough.
Then we went through the list of 247 loans currently looking to be funded in Colombia until one struck a cord with my boy. I never know what will catch the attention of my kids so they decide this is the one, this is the person I want to lend to. It might be something as simple as they have a large family like ours. Or…
“She sells hot dogs!” beamed Master9. “I love hot dogs!”
And so we had the loan which would receive our US$25 for the month of June. In fact, we had repayments of $65 this month so we were able to make two loans and then add $10 and make a third. I love how our money is recycled as the repayments come in.
Here’s what Liceth’s Kiva application said about her:
23 year-old Liceth has made a living preparing and selling fast food for the past 2 years. She grew up working with her family all of the time in their business which started out servicing billiard tables and later added a nightclub and drink sales. When she grew up, she decided on her own to take advantage of this knowledge and make money, and so she started her own business.
Her shop sells hamburgers, hot dogs, and salchipapas (fried potatoes with hot dog) which she distributes directly to her clientele by credit and cash payment, 7 in the morning to 10 at night, 7 days a week. Her sales are boosted by her persistence, and among the residents of the neighborhood where her business is located, Liceth has very clear goals such as to expand and purchase her own property later on, and for her infrastructure to be valued highly. She dreams of finishing her psychology degree at the University.
The biggest challenge for Liceth is that the resources available to her are not sufficient for her to grow rapidly. She is applying for a Kiva loan, the first loan that she has applied for through the Fundación Mario Santo Domingo, which she will use to buy a cart to sell hot dogs, hamburgers, and soups. With this, she plans to increase her sales and save on the lease that she currently has, invest in her business, and be successful.
If you’re interested in checking out Kiva for yourself, here’s a link to their site – KIVA LINK
If you’re already one of the 220 people or families who have joined this wonderful institution through our blog, head over and check out your account – you may have enough to make another loan to someone who wants to make a better life for themselves and their family.
🙂 if you enjoyed this post please share, like or comment 🙂
“Raising a family on little more than laughs.”
Wow, what a brilliant initiative! And a great way to teach kids everything from geography to finance to business basics. I’m definitely getting on board with this.
Just thought I’d let you know you’ve finally convinced me, I just signed up 🙂 (Tell Mr9 it was the hot dogs that got me)
I will! He’ll be thrilled 🙂 lol