The Kiva Story

[mdwilson58]

Awesome job on the video!

[mdwilson58]

Awesome job on the video!

[pyromaanisi]

heres some advice NEVER USE THE ONIONS STARTING NEWS SOUND!!!!

[RyanSharpTHIEF]

Do you know KIVA team that you have a criminal who joined you only to legitimize his criminal activity - please see my video and visit my site for information. I feel I need to warn others against this man.

[joedeuviet]

i though kiva was a power ranger due wat the hell!! wat is this suppose to be

[richprior]

I enjoyed this video, getting to see the young people who have had the vision to help people like me in the wealthiest nation in the world give a hand up to others trying to help themselves out of poverty. The "interest" in my investments is intangible. It's in people. Thank you Kiva!

[kareno18]

"jetting around in paris in 10 years.."

?

[kareno18]

part 4

- though women have been proven to spend money they make to benefit their family - traditional cultures still favour boys, who are usually the ones to FIRST go to school - and most girls are told to stay at home because their contributions can lead to more profit for the business

[kareno18]

Part 3

- many of the businesses are NOT ecologically sustainable and allow these entrepreneurs to be RESILIENT

- the majority of these businesses are NOT CO-OPERATIVES, thus they DO NOT FACILITATE OR EMPOWER people to mobalize

- change to inequality REQUIRES 2 things - effective states and active citizens

- does Kiva really address these 2?

[steentjs]

You're absolutely right about this, kareno18.

[kareno18]

the critical debate on micro-financing part 2:

- most of the strategies and methods used to make $ had to be market-economy orientated, and thus most have been changed from their original cultural ways

[kareno18]

the critical debate on micro-financing part 1:

- its small - its like, you (mostly women) can have this little bit and nothing more

- give the $ to the women because they can pay it back while the men in general have a lower paid-back rate

- it provides the delusion that just because you have this little bit of money, it equals = political and economic empowerment of women

[SassafrassWSolstice]

Great video showcasing a behind the scenes look at the folks that make Kiva happen. Kudos to you all!

Loaning through Kiva has been a life changing experience. When I loan I do it with the mindset that if the money is meant to come back to me it will. And if it doesn't that is OK too. But when it does it becomes a recycled gift to other entrepreneurs. Kiva clearly demonstrates the concept that alone little happens, but together we can move worlds and change lives.

sassafrass winter solstice

[johnnecron]

I loaned out my 25 bucks last March to a lady who wanted to buy a milk cow with a calf to sell milk to her village. That lady has not missed a single payment back to me. If people in America had the integrity of paying their debts this Country would be far wealthier

[Hojemwod]

do you get interest when you get paid back?

[globalprincess1]

No, you do not get interest.

[Hojemwod]

i wonder who gets interest then....probably kiva's 'lenders'....not much of an incentive IMO...but if people want to do it then good for them

[globalprincess1]

There is no interest, the people in third world countries pay back exactly how much was loaned to them. You do not make or lose any money from loaning through Kiva.

[cinnamonbrandy8]

that's the theory - but it's only fair to point out that if you choose a program with a less than 100% payback rate you may lose that $25 - and even if you always choose a program with a 100% payback rate, kiva don't guarantee anything.

Which is not to say that I've ever lost anything I've put into Kiva. Just that if people are interested in interest, they'll also be looking at getting their money back for sure.

h.

[johnnecron]

@cinnamonbrandy8

SO say we all

[quala723]

@globalprincess1 You're correct that you don't lose or make any money, but the for-profit third party are making a 5.5% profit on average. The average interest rate on a Kiva loan is 35%! The founders may have good intentions, but in the end is it really that different from a payday loan place?

[Rejinx]

@globalprincess1 This is not completely true. The Borrower in the third world does pay interest and fees but the money is loaned to the Kiva partner at no interest. The money made from the loan is used by the partner to pay the expanses of giving the loan.

[KivaDotOrg]

Words defy the significance of the contributions which Mohammad Yunas has bestowed on mankind. Beyond the genius of his banking model, he has truly demonstrated through his many selfless initiatives what it means to be socially responsible on a global scale. Thanks to Matt and all individuals who commit themselves to improving the human condition.

[dynovideoz]

kiva is excellent. you really do get paid back so often it's shocking. then you feel so happy about it, you lend it out again to another worthy entrepreneur. so every month, i'll add 1 or 2, and reinvest what has been repaid. the last time i went there they were fully funded, so i donated to the site to keep them up and running. kiva is quite literally the gift that keeps on giving. you feel cool deep inside to be part of it. this is the best way to help those who are willing to help themselves.

[7LucidDreamZ]

Can you tell me some more about your experience? What kinds of businesses do you lend to? Is the website user-friendly? This is really interesting to me.

[Shane46110]

Kiva Rocks! Just had my first loan repaid in full a couple days ago. Loan was to a man in Uganda and was repaid after only 4 months.

[LostFREEDOM]

Im a member of

kiva and it works

[snaggletoofskitty]

I just learned about Kiva a few months ago and think it's the best idea ever! Thank you for sharing. Love.

[swinginpipe]

wonderful!

[rampartsdcepticon]

one guy in this video said "Kiva pioneered this field". I need to give a caveat that I do strongly value what kiva is doing but I would like to bring democracy farther so that we do not need to have a dog eat dog society and instead embrace parecon. my 2 cents

[geirwilhelmsen]

Kiva is King. : )

[kartben]

I love Kiva :)

[TheSportsTrader]

Be aware, be very aware, this Kiva programme is extremely adictive. I started to loan to entrepreneurs about 4 weeks ago and I get such a good feeling from doingit that I find myself on the site several times a day looking for other worthy people to invest in.

Ray

[L1V2P9]

Kiva is an excellent international good will agency. It allows persons from all areas of the globe to see others as generous and hard working individuals unfettered by the bias of politics.

[papplegrassbracelet]

awesome job :) keep posting what you do!

[swede42]

Kiva is GREAT - an outstanding idea. HOWEVER, the registration page at their web site is not encrypted, putting your password in clear text and creating a risk of identity theft to those who register. Please please please fix this Kiva, so that I and others can register and participate securely!!

[josephine2626]

I am not directly affiliated with Kiva, so your best bet would be to contact Kiva directly, through their website, with your concern.

Thank you for your support!

[swede42]

Thanks, Josephine. I've actually done so repeatedly since Nick Kristof's first report in the NY Times. They response that they know it's a problem and I should keep checking the site to see when it's fixed. I'm hoping someone there will see this and make it the priority it deserves to be. Kiva does great work and it's not right that people should have to expose themselves to identity theft to participate. This is very simple. It could be done in a day or so. It needs to be done *now*.

[XxNarutoxFanxGirlxX]

My name is KIVA :D

[ktthorn]

How do we connect

third world mission with your project?

[ajgak]

hey global princess! An amazing cause you support! let's go to brunch or a museum things soon.