Saturday, November 08, 2008

A brilliant idea - Kiva microfinance

Let's think about people to whom $25 would make - is making - a difference. Rory Sutherland's column in The Spectator this week is about Kiva, a project that lends small sums to individuals and groups around the world, mostly to set up or develop little businesses.

They repay from their increased production, you get to re-lend to more people. Really, it's a way that the poor but proud can help each other, using your finance to grease the wheels.

Having read Sutherland, I've just joined, and I really feel good about it. Why don't you?

5 comments:

Paddington said...

I make regular contributions to FINCA, which does much the same.

Sackerson said...

Anything you can do...

Liz Hinds said...

I was about to say that I don't understand any of your intelligent writing but then I read this. Good stuff.

Anonymous said...

This is a tried and tested solution throughout Africa (and probably elsewhere too - although I have no direct experience of other places so cannot comment).

However, it was my experience (hands on too) that these schemes only worked if the recipients were women. They set up small village cooperatives and successfully ran and managed profitably enterprises such as small market gardens, flower growing, bakeries etc. All they needed was a small loan with which to buy a few tools, basics, seeds etc. and off they would go. They also invariably repaid their loans faithfully and usually on time. Profits were reinvested in he enterprise. Advances to men seemed to be squandered on beer and cigarettes. So provided you can trust those in charge of the till, your money is well spent on these schemes.

Sackerson said...

Liz - it's the material that's hard, I rarely feel quite up to it! But reading the experts for over a year taught me a lot and gave me early warnings.

Ex-aid bod: we chose women entreprenurs (entrepreneuses?) for our first Kiva foray, so from what you say it's a good start.