Kiva Supports the American Dream Around the World through MicroFinance.

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Micro-lending. Micro-finance. Micro loans. Whatever you call it, it amounts to the same thing. An exceptional idea!

Kiva, and a few others like the Hope Alliance in Peru, promote economic independence through micro-lending. If you have ever wondered if your donation to a huge, international charity was really the best use of your money, this is a great alternative.

Micro lending is the making of small, or micro, loans to small businesses for start up or expansion. It the US market a micro loan is generally considered anything under $35,000. In many other countries however a loan of as little as a few hundred dollars can mean lifting a family out of poverty.

How does it work? Individuals make small loans to people on the other side of world, via the internet and truly influence the course of their lives. When a single mother has the ability to turn her sewing skills into a small business that can support her family, the fate of the entire family changes. No longer are the world’s poor helpless to change their lives.

Healthcare, education, housing. All of these areas are improved when people are no longer forced to choose between these items and food. Children, whose parents can afford to send them to school, have greater economic opportunities. People retain their dignity. They are not receiving relief. They are making a legitimate business transaction.

How does Kiva do it? Kiva enables individuals, like yourself, to lend as little as twenty five dollars to entrepreneurs across the globe. By combining microfinance with the internet, they have created a global community of people connected through lending. You are not giving someone a handout, you are helping them out.

How do you get started? Go to Kiva.org. Click on the Lend button at the top of the screen. Now you can search through the database of borrowers. Do you want to encourage women to achieve financial equality? Would you like to lend to residents of Mexico and Central America to bolster their local economies and reduce the number of people risking the dangerous illegal foray across the US border? Whatever reason you have for wanting to lend, you can find a borrower that suits you.

When you have chosen a borrower you Checkout using Paypal or a credit card. Kiva, unlike some other charities, does not take a percentage of your money to fund operating costs. One hundred percent of the money you lend goes to the borrower. This is why at this point you will be asked if you would like to make a tax deductible donation to the organization. It is not mandatory.

You then set up your Lender Profile. You can add a photo, tell a little about yourself and explain why you lend. At the bottom of each fully funded entrepreneur's page you will see the list of lenders, a map of countries where the funds came from, journal updates from the borrower or local lending partner and more.

Your My Portfolio page will show you all the loans you have made and the current repayment status of each. For example, my lender page shows that seven of my loans have been repaid, one is not fully funded yet and one is in repayment. It also lets you know the balance you have in your Kiva credit account to lend.

As loans are repaid, the money goes into your back into your Kiva credit account. You can reloan this money as many times as you want or take it out if you are in need of a little cash infusion.

As of May 25, 2010, 456,052 Kiva members in 197 countries have made $138,747,385.00 in loans. The current repayment rate is 98.15%.

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This amazing and yet simple concept is improving lives around the world. Helping entrepreneurs take control of their destiny and move forward. If you have never been given a chance, how can you take a chance to improve your life? Kiva loans fund ideas and dreams of a better life. They take the American Dream worldwide.

This is a lesson that needs to be taught to America's children. What a great idea for a school project or a youth group. You have heard the phrase Think Globally, Act Locally? Well now you can Act Globally also.

Do you want to give your child a gift with real meaning this year? Purchase a Kiva gift certificate and start them on a charitable journey of their own.

My Kiva Lender Page

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