1. loans that change lives
$25 loaned so far
$475 still needed
$25 LEND NOW
Kiva.org is a non-profit revolutionizing the fight against global poverty by
enabling people to connect with and make personal loans to low-income
entrepreneurs in the developing world. Through Kiva, anyone can make a direct
loan of as little as $25—and in doing
so contribute to a vital influx of
“Innovation of the
Week: Kiva.org uses capital to the developing world where
smart design to make a little cash most of the poor are self-employed
go a long way.” entrepreneurs. A small loan to
purchase business-related items such
“If you’ve got 25 as sewing machines or livestock can
bucks, a PC and a dramatically improve the life of an
PayPal account, you’ve now got the entrepreneur and his/her family, thus
wherewithal to be an international
empowering them to earn their way
financier.”
out of poverty.

2. Access to a Worldwide farmer in Kenya, a man who wants to open a
shoe shop in Honduras, or a tailor in Bulgaria.
Network Lenders can then loan as little as $25 to the
entrepreneur of their choice via PayPal, a
The concept behind Kiva is simple:
globally recognized online payment service.
Bring together lenders and worthy
enterprises on Kiva’s website.
?
When a loan is
— From Kenya to Ecuador, microfinance completely funded Microfinance
institutions (MFI) around the world go to by individual institutions (MFI)
Kiva.org and post photos and profiles of low- lenders, Kiva pools Organizations that
income entrepreneurs in need of money for the money and give small loans
their businesses. transfers it to an that help poor people who
MFI partner who wish to start or expand
administers it to the their small businesses but
Loans made easy and personal.
entrepreneur. are too poor to qualify
— Lenders go to Kiva.org and browse for traditional bank loans.
through profiles of low-income — Journal updates Over 10,000 MFI exist
entrepreneurs—a dairy keep the lenders worldwide
informed about
the progress of the
entrepreneur they
sponsored. Loan
MFI posts an entrepreneur’s repayments made by the entrepreneur over the
photo and loan information course of about 6-18 months are sent back to
Kiva by the MFI partner.
on www.kiva.org
Once loans are repaid, Kiva users
can choose to withdraw their
principal—or re-loan to
another entrepreneur.
Kiva users browse profiles, select an
entrepreneur, and then loan money using a
PayPal account
Kiva wires the loaned funds to the MFI partner, who in
turn disburses them to the entrepreneur.
$ MFI

3. Revolutionizing Philanthropy stopped many would-be entrepreneurs from
achieving their potential. Thus, Kiva was
Unlike any other organization, Kiva allows born—founded to decrease the burden of
individuals to fight global poverty in a high interest rates by enabling internet users
personal and sustainable way by enabling to make personal loans to entrepreneurs in
them to directly connect with low-income poor communities throughout the world.
entrepreneurs in the developing world. After considerable research and planning,
A loan through Kiva is not a hand-out: it the Kiva.org website was launched in
is a source of empowerment for both the October of 2005. In its first year, Kiva rapidly
giver and the recipient. Kiva users are not grew to become the most trafficked site in
donors; they are lenders in “peer-to-peer” microfinance, generating millions in loans to
microfinance, a process based on mutual thousands of entrepreneurs in developing
respect and trust. Kiva lenders see exactly countries. Kiva has also received wide acclaim
who their money goes to, what the recipients from the blogosphere, mainstream media
are doing with it, and how it is making a (including NPR, BBC, CNN, Wall Street Journal)
difference. For and development experts. The Kiva website
the entrepreneur has fostered cross-cultural relationships
?
and their family, and provided thousands of families with
What does
one small loan small loans and fresh hope for a sustainable
“kiva” mean?
can change livelihood.
Kiva is a Swahili
their lives—and word meaning
their whole “agreement” or “unity”. Inside Kiva
community’s
future prosperity. Headquartered in San Francisco, Kiva is
staffed and headed by experienced consumer
internet and microfinance leaders with years
Kiva’s History of technology proficiency from companies
Kiva was founded in 2004 by husband and such as Ebay/PayPal, LinkedIn, TiVo, Google,
wife team Matthew and Jessica Flannery. and MySpace. A number of major internet
During a trip to East Africa to assess how partners support Kiva, including
microlending impacts local communities, PayPal, YouTube, Google,
Matthew and Jessica became concerned with MySpace and
the dependence of microfinance institutions Microsoft.
on local banks, most of which charge high
interest rates on loans. The pair was certain
that the prohibitive cost of loan repayment
“Revolutionizing
how donors and
lenders in the US are connecting with
small entrepreneurs in developing
countries”
“Kiva simply “At Kiva.org, a
democratizes access to a schoolteacher
worldwide microfinance in Kansas can partner with an expert
movement that has been seamstress in countries like Kenya,
empowering the working poor for Mexico and Ecuador to jump-start a
two decades.” tailor shop.”

4. Elizabeth Omalla
Location: Uganda
Loan Use: Fish Seller
Loan Amount: $500.00
A widow from Tororo, Uganda,
Elizabeth supports eleven people by
selling fish. Thanks to the loan, which
she has repaid, Omalla now sells more
$500 loaned so far varieties of fish and has been able
$0 needed to “take my children to school, buy
two cows and five goats, and open a
$25 LEND NOW savings account.”
Name: Maria Elena Mejia Name: Denis Tukei Name: Khadijatou Ndiaye
Location: Nicaragua Location: Uganda Location: Senegal
Loan Use: Tailoring Loan Use: Clothing Sales Loan Use: Fish Selling
Loan Amount: $200.00 Loan Amount: $900.00 Loan Amount: $1000.00
Name: Alice Wairimu Kimani Name: Shukufa Feyzullayeva Name: Hilario Olvera
Location: Kenya Location: Azerbaijan Location: Ecuador
Loan Use: Dairy Farming Loan Use: Clothing Sales Loan Use: Shoe Making
Loan Amount: $1800.00 Loan Amount: $800.00 Loan Amount: $600.00