Kiva

A few years ago my best friend got me this awesome gift certificate for Christmas and I've been able to use and reuse it over and over again. Kiva is this amazing organization that allows people like you and me to lend money to people all over the world to help them open businesses that allow them to support themselves and their families. Today I just loaned $25 to Olivia, a farmer in Ecuador who is 33 and has 4 children. In the past I've used that same $25 to help Safiatou Diarra a woman in Food Production in Mali with 6 children, the Kyambadde Aidah Group run by Ms. Aidah in Uganda who has 8 children of her own and sells Charcoal, as well as Mwantumu's Ngeta B Group run by Mwantumu who has 2 children and is in Agriculture. Every loan I have made has been paid back in full and has helped these women start or expand their business. The great thing is you can lend as little as $25 or as much as you want and you can keep loaning that same money. As soon as your loan is paid back by one group, it can be loaned to another. This truly is a gift that keeps on giving. Check it out at Kiva.org