4 down, 8 to go!

April’s Kiva loan goes to Michelle in the Philippines. Michelle requested a loan to help pay for more ingredients for her stall. She sells a special concoction called “ice scramble.” The ingredients include ice, different candies, and chocolate. Sounds delicious. Michelle  helps support her family with ice scramble business and hopes to continue to improve their quality of living.

Quick reminder that Kiva gift cards make an awesome gift for Mother’s Day!

xo, jill

3 down, 9 to go!

March’s Kiva loan went to Maria in El Salvador. She’s requesting a loan to buy more stock for her store so she can take advantage of the school season. This is Maria’s second loan. The first she used to add more product variety to her shop and offer lower prices to her customers.

The last I checked, Maria’s loan was only 41% funded with only four days left. If you’re looking to make a Kiva loan in the next day or two, consider Maria. Click here to go to her Kiva page.

After taking a quick look at my Kiva portfolio this evening, I saw that about 80% of the loans I’ve funded have been repaid. The rest are either too recent to begin repayments or are working on it. Pretty neat.

xo, jill

2 down, 10 to go!

It’s time again for Kiva lending! February’s loan is heading on down to Senegal. Astou Sekou requested a loan to purchase damask and muslin to grow her sewing business. What can I say? I’m a sucker for seamstresses. It must be the sewing withdrawal.

Photo from Astou’s Kiva listing / She’s raising her hand.

I took a glimpse at my Kiva portfolio today and noticed something pretty cool. The total amount of money I’ve lent is about three times as much as I’ve deposited. I love this system.

xo, jill

1 down, 11 to go!

And we’re off on another exciting year of Kiva lending!

The first loan of 2014 goes to Mayrambi in Tajikistan. I just really loved that she’s borrowing money to expand her caramel apple business. Mayrambi’s listing says that she is a “cook-confectioner in her soul.” I couldn’t miss the opportunity to help her invest in more sugar and apples. I love micro-lending!

Does anyone else have micro-lending as a part of their 2014 plans?

xo, jill

6 down, 0 to go!

My Kiva loan for the months of November and December goes to Adelaida in the Philippines. As I’ve likely said before, I’ve met so many lovely Filipino people over the past several years that the country has a special place in my heart. With the recent terrible supertyphoon, I feel for the Philippines even more so.

I was initially drawn to Adelaida’s listing when I saw the scraps of fabric on the table in her photograph. I always love to support people at their craft. And then when I realized her name was Adelaida and connected that to my favorite Australian city… well, the loan was a done deal. Adelaida has requested a loan to help buy more materials for her rug making business.

And so ends another successful year of Kiva loans. I really do love this tradition. I’m considering switching back to monthly loans instead of lending every other month. We’ll see how long it takes for my Kiva coffers to dry up. If you’re racking your brain for a meaningful Christmas give, I hope you’ll consider giving a Kiva card this year.

xo, jill

5 down, 1 to go!

My Kiva loan for September and October goes to Khadidiatou in Senegal. I’ve been itching to visit Senegal since I will likely never live this close by again. Sadly, so far my airfare searches have come back with very expensive results. I’m not giving up hope yet.

Photo from Khadidiatou’s Kiva listing. She’s in the middle, raising her hand.

Khadidiatou’s work involves processing grains. She is requesting a loan to help build her supplies of millet, corn, beans, and peanuts. Four things I very much enjoy eating. Hopefully her loan will lead to future business success.

xo, jill