(MFI)

What is Kiva?

Nicaragua

Honduras

Togo

Senegal

Bulgaria

Gaza

Uganda

KenyaTanzania

Cambodia

Samoa

Mexico

Ecuador

NigeriaGhana

Mozambique

Ukraine

Afghanistan

DRC Indonesia

Azerbaijan

Cameroon

Tajikistan

Bolivia

Haiti Dominican Republic

Vietnam

Iraq

Peru

Paraguay

Guatemala

Sierra LeoneCote d’Ivoire

PakistanNepal

Moldova

Lebanon

South Sudan

Bosnia

Partnerships with 104 MFIs in 49 Countries!

How does Kiva Work?

A loan is

made on Kiva

every 31 seconds

in 2008!!!

Kiva moves money

• Lenders choose a person to lend to

• An MFI gets the money from Kiva

• The MFI lends the money to the borrower

• The borrower repays the MFI

• The MFI repays Kiva• Kiva repays the lenders

Who Are Kiva Fellows? What Do They Do?

What are the good things about Microfinance?

• With a relatively small amount of money, poor people can start or improve their business

• Most formal lending institutions won’t lend to them. Why?

• Microfinance can help women and girls• Microfinance works inside communities• Microfinance is empowering• Microfinance is person to person development

Sierra’s Favorite Stories

What are the bad things about microfinance?

• Takes a long time to get a loan• Borrowers have to do a lot of things to get a loan

– So borrowers look for MFIs with the fewest requirements– What does this mean?

• It costs a lot to give a loan, so interest rates are high– How high?

• Not everyone wants a business, some wish they could be an employee

Sierra’s Unhappy Story

There were others stories like this…but not for today

Sierra’s Complicated Story

People need loans for lots of reasons, not always business….

But- mostly stories are about small improvements…..

And pride…..

What Can You Do?• Creative way to make providing loans cheaper-

technology?• Support business training in the developing world• Support nonprofits that provide other, non-financial

services• Buy products sold by microborrowers (ahkun.org)• Listen to people• Support local small businesses• Speak another language• Learn as much as you can about the world

…and lend to