In 2011, I had a wide range of sponsors for the blogs I manage. After deducting the running costs for my blogs, I want to invest the left-over funds in our microfinance project “Change Starts Here” . Seems like a good way to start 2012 off on a good footing!

So, from January 1 to 15, I will run a promotion campaign for AidJobs, my newest blog, while helping to boost our micro finance projects. How? Pretty simple:

• For every comment left on this blogpost, I will donate US$5.
  Just leave your name and where you live. Add any wishes you have for a better world in 2012.
• For every new Twitter follower on @AidJobs, I will donate US$5.
  (we’re starting at 147 followers)
• For every new “like” on our AidJobs Facebook page, I will donate US$5.
  (we’re starting at 22 likes)
• For every new Email subscription, I will donate US$5.
  (we’re starting at 4 subscriptions)

Again, the end date is midnight January 15, and all funds go to our Kiva micro finance projects. A good way to start 2012, no?

In the next two weeks, I will publish updates on this blog post.

Happy New Year everyone!

Peter

Over the past sabbatical year, I had the opportunity to work with a team at CGIAR, mostly on social media related projects. That work brought me to the field, talking to farmers about ways they adapt (or don’t) to the economic and climatic changes, their needs, their wishes,… I wrote about it, made videos, published pictures.. I realized the impact even small things can have, on their daily lives. I talked to researchers, to extension agents, to suppliers… In short, I got hooked.

At this moment, I have the opportunity to work with CGIAR on an event taking place in Nairobi on Sept 1^st, highlighting the importance of longer term agricultural research to augment the resilience of farmers confronted with a rapidly changing world, specifically related to the current drought (again) in the Horn of Africa.

The work of the CGIAR is not well known to the outside world. Having worked in food aid for the better part of my professional life, the CGIAR was certainly an unknown to me. It is part of my job is to make it known. And this is where you all can help, even though the effort is still at its early beginning (isn’t it great to be part of something from the start?).

We have set up a repository (in the form of a blog), in which I post simple examples of agricultural research the CGIAR is doing, particularly in the Horn, leading up to the Sept 1 event.

At the same time, we are “populating” a brand Twitter account @cgiarconsortium , using the hashtag #Ag4HoA (Agriculture for the Horn of Africa) for all tweets related to agricultural development. We started publishing development projects related to the Horn, but after Sept 1, we will broaden to other projects the CGIAR does, as time goes by.

On Sept 1^st (followed by another event on Sept 2^nd and 3^rd), I will be live blogging/tweeting from the event, using the same Twitter account.

Now where can you help?

Just as I called out to the social media community for the Addis Sharefair, I am calling out to you now. I am looking for people active in the social media community to help spreading our worthwhile message. You don’t have to be related to development or agricultural research, but any reach you have within your own social community, can help.

I am looking for people who are willing to retweet, reblog, post our articles on Facebook, Google+, in short “make some social media noise”. I have assembled a good list of people in an email list already, whom I update daily of the new events and posts we are broadcasting.

Are you willing to help? Leave a comment, or email me via peter (at) theroadtothehorizon (dot) org and I will include you on our mailing list.

I hope with this effort, we can do some good, make a change, and maybe contribute our small bit to make sure droughts and floods no longer turn into famine.

Maybe one day, we won’t need to put up pictures of cattle starving due to a drought. Maybe one day, we will be able to publish pictures of thriving crops and well-fed cows, even though the area has been hit by yet another drought, or a flood.

Gakii Mwenda, one of our Kiva lenders from Kenya

Gakii Mwenda lives in the Nkubu area of Central Kenya. She has been a farmer for 13 years. Gakii has been producing french beans, potatoes and milk. She sells her produce on the local market.

Gakii has made a loan request to Kiva so she could buy dairy goats and construct a barn on her farm. She intends to expand her dairy goat farming and keep cows in the future. She says she will fully rely on the farming income for the upkeep of her children.

When I read Gakii’s request, it made me think of many Kenya’s women I met during my visit last year. Most of them, like Emily manage their household, their farm and their family entirely by themselves. Many are widows, or their husbands work in the cities, only coming home a couple of times per year.

In honour of the strong women in this world, today I allocated 52 new microfinance loans via Kiva. Some of these loans go to individual women, some are group loans.

With these new loans, we reached over 100 women. They live all over the world: Mexico, Bolivia, Philippines, Uganda, Mongolia, Peru, the DRC, Ecuador, Ukraine, the Dominican Republic, Rwanda, Kenya, Azerbaijan, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan and Cambodia. 18 countries.. did I count that well?

They needed help in setting up or expanding their retail business, buy seeds or fishlings, invest in new farming equipment or stocks.

It is amazing to realize, that from my desk in Italy, I can make a difference in the lives of over 100 women in 18 countries… Why don’t you join our Kiva team, and allocate your microfinance loan too?

Here is the list of new loans I allocated today:

• Amanda in Peru: $25
• Luz 2 Group in Mexico: $25
• Kollitas Group in Bolivia: $25
• Amistad Del Sur Group in Bolivia: $50
• Lydia Matias in Philippines: $50
• Mumuwa Community Bank Group in Uganda: $100
• Usukhjargal Adiyakhuu in Mongolia: $50
• Sabina in Bolivia: $50
• Elsa in Peru: $25
• Amigos Emprendedores Group in Peru: $100
• Resurection Plus Group in DRC: $25
• Agge Plus Group in DRC: $25
• Fuerza 2008 Group in Peru: $50
• Beatriz Adelina in Ecuador: $50
• Qolquewasi Group in Peru: $100
• Yuliya Morozova in Ukraine: $50
• Cristo Y Nuestro Esfuerzo 2 & 5 Group in Dominican Republic: $100
• Jehova Jireh 1, 2 & 3 Group in Dominican Republic $100
• Javzandulam Jamsran in Mongolia: $50
• Mercy Kibiti in Kenya: $50
• Charity Kiogora in Kenya: $50
• Margarita Abuton in Philippines: $50
• Leonie in Rwanda: $50
• Sevda Kazimova in Azerbaijan: $25
• Lider De Defensores Group in Peru: $25
• Maria Auxiliadora Valencia Figueroa in Ecuador: $25
• Mara Santos in El Salvador: $25
• Carvir Orfelia Arguello in Nicaragua: $25
• Jorenda Castillon in Philippines: $25
• Jesus Fuerza De Vida Group in Peru: $25
• Mara Auxiliadora Moreira Solorzano in Ecuador: $25
• Zaira Chachua in Georgia: $25
• Girasol Group in Nicaragua: $25
• Union And Strength Group in Honduras: $50
• Mara Jose Pineda in Nicaragua: $50
• Florenda Jimenez in Philippines: $25
• Josephine Cabanlit in Philippines: $50
• Margaret Wambui in Kenya: $50
• Anonymous in Peru: $50
• Maria Cecilia in Ecuador: $25
• Maksuda Sultanova’s Group in Kyrgyzstan: $25
• Carmelita Porperio in Philippines: $25
• Kanyshai Abdirasilova’s Group in Kyrgyzstan: $100
• Elvira Jakypbaeva’s Group in Kyrgyzstan: $25
• Editha Santiago in Philippines: $25
• Pelicia in Philippines: $25
• Lilia in Philippines: $25
• Nhhoep San in Cambodia: $50
• Elena Cipriano in Philippines: $25
• Gakii Mwenda in Kenya: $50
• Burulsun’s Group in Kyrgyzstan: $50
• Pascasie in Rwanda: $50

Gloria Daliego's team

Gloria Daliego lives in the village of Estrella, San Guillermo, in the Philippines. She is 41 years old and the group leader of a 13-member group loan. While each member of the group receives an individual loan, they are all collectively responsible for paying back the loans of their fellow group members if someone is delinquent or defaults.

Gloria is married and has 4 school-aged children. She owns and operates a farming business, planting and harvesting a variety of vegetables for sale. Gloria has been engaged in her business for over 10 years and earns approximately 4,000 PHP a month from it.

In 2009, Gloria asked a microfinance loan to help improve her living situation and ability to engage in business activities. Gloria has successfully repaid a previous loan of 5,000 PHP, which was used to purchase additional seeds, seedlings and young crops to raise.

Gloria is requesting a new loan of 8,000 PHP which will again be used to purchase additional seeds, seedlings and young crops to raise. She plans to use the additional revenue generated from the business to improve/expand her business.

As part of our newest loans, concentrating on entrepreneurs active in the agricultural sector, we allocated $50 to Gloria’s group.

Here are our most recent loans:

• Ratna Sari Group in Indonesia: $100
• Maria Timbal in Philippines: $25
• Rosalinda Zumel in Philippines: $50
• Emma Babayran Group in Philippines: $100
• Nilda in Peru: $50
• Letty Salvejo in Philippines: $50
• Rosario Bodiongan in Philippines: $50
• Chea Sareth in Cambodia: $50
• Gloria Daliego’s Group in Philippines: $50
• Mirtha Elena Nima Jara in Peru: $50
• Koryun Margaryan in Armenia: $50
• Elio Carrin Odar in Peru: $50
• Hakob Tadevosyan in Armenia: $25
• Murad Mirzayev in Azerbaijan: $50
• Ararat Danielyan in Armenia: $25
• Sirac Aliyev in Azerbaijan: $50
• Tofiq Valikhanov in Azerbaijan: $50
• Anonymous in Lebanon: $50
• Martik Bayramyan in Armenia: $50
• Mugyenyi Alex in Uganda: $50
• Cruz Enrique in Nicaragua: $50

Sobirahon Ahmadalieva (on the left) with her team

Sobirahon Ahmadalieva is 51 years old and divorced. She lives with her four children in Aravan, Kyrgyzstan. The older son works in construction, the second repairs cars, and her two daughters study at the university.

With her team, Sobirahon breeds cattle for resale after fattening. In this way she earns about $85 per month. With her microfinance loan of $1,066 she wants to purchase two bull calves for breeding.

In the future she wants to increase the number of cattle and save money to celebrate her daughter’s wedding.

We funded 10% of her loan request, which she will pay back over the course of the next 18 months.

This was one of 17 loans we issued today, concentrating on women, and lender’s groups working in agriculture. This time, the lenders were mostly from South America and Central Asia:

• Gregoria Balderramos in Ecuador: $50
• Mariposas De Endare women in Mexico: $100
• El Monte De Joco women in Ecuador: $100
• Ruth Ponce in Ecuador: $50
• Aida Rochina in Ecuador: $50
• Digna Carbo in Ecuador: $50
• Rita Carbo in Ecuador: $50
• Norma Ramirez in Ecuador: $50
• Laura Surez in Ecuador: $50
• Nancy Chango in Ecuador: $25
• Dilbarhon Melibaeva group in Kyrgyzstan: $100
• The Cumbe Group in Ecuador: $100
• Aiymbubu Kudaybergenova in Kyrgyzstan: $50
• Sobirahon Ahmadalieva’s Group in Kyrgyzstan: $100
• Mukarramhon Urinova’s Group in Kyrgyzstan: $75
• Tolobubu Jenalieva’s Group in Kyrgyzstan: $50
• Dinara Kojomshukurova’s Group in Kyrgyzstan: $50

Armen wants to invest in potato seedlings for the next planting season

Armen Hovhannisyan lives in Armenia, in a village called “Lchashen” with his parents, his wife and two children.

Armen has been a farmer for about 15 years. In his farm he has cows, sheep, pigs, and chickens. Armen’s wife helps him in farming, so they support their family, develop their farm and pay for their children’s education at university. He asked for a loan of 1,000,000 AMD (USD$ 2,800) to buy potato seedlings, which he will plant next spring.

Armen Hovhannisyan is one of the 31 new loans we have issued to Kiva this week.
In this tranche, we slightly deviated from our usual emphasize on women, but concentrated on entrepreneurs working in groups, and lenders working in agriculture.

• Juan in Bolivia: $50.00
• Juma Isoev in Tajikistan: $50.00
• Unathan Orihbai in Mongolia: $50.00
• Anhbayar Odsuren in Mongolia: $50.00
• Ayush Lhamjav in Mongolia: $50.00
• Yondonpuntsag Tuvdendorj in Mongolia : $25.00
• Yousouf Kon in Mali: $50.00
• Grover Alberto in Bolivia: $50.00
• Gonzalo Quiroz in Bolivia: $50.00
• Joseph Parsapayet in Kenya: $25.00
• Narnaa Nyamaa in Mongolia: $50.00
• Nemat Hasanov in Tajikistan: $50.00
• Armen Hovhannisyan in Armenia: $50.00
• Urozali Halilov in Tajikistan: $50.00
• Al Progreso Group in Peru: $100.00
• Marco Antonio in Bolivia: $50.00
• Nazri Odinaev in Tajikistan: $50.00
• Mirzorahmad Safarov in Tajikistan: $50.00
• Olimboy Soliev in Tajikistan: $50.00
• Anonymous in Lebanon: $50.00
• Leopoldo Arcides in El Salvador: $50.00
• Samuel Antonio in El Salvador: $50.00
• Manuel Carrasco in Ecuador: $50.00
• Sagrada Familia Group in Peru: $100.00
• Creciendo Juntos Group in Peru: $100.00
• Libertad Group in Bolivia: $100.00
• The Entrepreneurs Group in Bolivia: $100.00
• La Capilla Group in Mexico: $100.00
• Kua Guapa Group in Paraguay: $100.00
• Emprendedoras Del Valle Triunfo Group in Peru: $100.00
• Medalla Milagrosa Group in Paraguay: $50.00

In the course of the past two years, Our Kiva team has now allocated over 1,000 microfinance loans, for a total value of US$39,500. Check our score card for the details!

Of the microfinance loans I have allocated to people in 36 countries, 90% were women.
37% of the loans went to people working in the agricultural sector, 26% works in retail (smaller shops) and 21% worked in food processing and food trade.

Tamara in Armenia wants to expand her farming business

Tamara Hovannisyan lives in Horom, in the Shirak region of Armenia. She is married with three children 14, 19 and 21 years old. Tamara has been a self-employed farmer for the past 20 years. In addition to supporting the education of her children, she also provides her brother’s family with agricultural produce grown on her farm. She has a dream of renovating her house and establishing a small shop to support her family, so she took a loan to purchase fuel and cattle feed to increase her small livestock business. If successful, she expects her income to increase by 25%.

Tamara is one of the 15 entrepreneurs out of 8 countries we allocated microfinance loans to today:

• Tiessiri Women’s group in Mali: $100
• Djekabaara Women’s group 1 in Mali: $100
• Benkadi Women’s group in Mali: $100
• Clavelina Moreno in Ecuador: $50
• Fatima Noguera in Nicaragua: $50
• Maria Rivas in Nicaragua: $50
• Dolores in Peru: $50
• Tamara Dvila in Nicaragua: $50
• Par Cisse Women’s Group in Senegal: $100
• Tamara Hovhannisyan in Armenia: $50
• Rano Dodaeva in Tajikistan: $50
• Dilorom Kodirova in Tajikistan: $50
• Susanna Poghosyan in Armenia: $50
• Galina Vasyutinska in Ukraine: $50
• Djekabaara Women’s Group 2 in Mali: $100

As per our usual choice, all selected entrepreneurs are either women, or women’s groups. This batch concentrated mostly on loans for active farmers.

Check out our project score card for a summary of our loans, and if you are interested, join our Kiva team… Up to today, we have 82 members, who issued a total of US$35,325 in 894 different loans…

And if you just tune in now, check here how it all started…

Eudisa Belloc in the Philippines

In the past month, I received dozens of updates from the microfinance projects we funded. A selection from the reports:

From the Philippines:

Eudisa Belloc’s loan has increased her business capital to purchase an additional storage box used for the packaging of her fish, additional weighing scale. She can also buy more fish from additional fishermen, so the number of fisherman she is helping through her business has increased.
With the extra revenue, she was able to partially renovate her house. (Full)

From the Dominican Republic:

Matilde sells clothes in her small community out in the batty near Hato Mayor. She began with 5000 pesos (138 USD) and has extended her business with the microfinance loans she received. She wants to be successful in her business and dreams of somewhat becoming a designer for her community.

As for now, she is buying clothes from the city then bringing them back to the batty to sell. However, her dream is to eventually buy a sowing machine so that she can repair and design her own clothing. (Full)

From Lebanon:

Lina is a very active woman who does her best to improve her sales. Her grocery store has been doing great, and thanks to her loan, she diversified her merchandise and increased her sales. She also expanded her product range to perfumes, beach equipment for the summer season and toys for children.

She has three children. One of her daughters is married now, and her soon is engaged. He is still in the university and plans to continue his studies in order to get a high education diploma. Her younger daughter is 12 years old and is still in school. (Full)

From Ecuador:

As a member the community bank “Progressive Union” who provided the microfinance loand, Sara Leon diversified her business. She used to raise guinea pigs but at the moment business is slow due to competition. She now bought some pigs and materials to butcher the animals. (Full)

From the Philippines:

Roberto Doroni says his rice farm is doing well. The loan we gave allowed him to purchase pesticide and fertilizers, which gave him a good harvest. (Full)

From Uganda:

Jovia Tiberindwa’s business of selling goats has significantly improved ever since she got our loan. She bought more goats to sell to her increasing clientele. Her profits have increased as a consequence, allowing her to pay for her children’s eduction. (Full)

From Tajikistan:

Kamilova Rano has successfully repaid her 8-month loan of $1500 US Dollars. Rano used the loan in order to increase the turnover capital so she could expand the stock of her goods. Part of her additional revenue is further invested in developing her business. She saves the rest for the education of her children. (Full)

From Ghana:

Victoria trades in textile and foot wear. With our loan she increased her stock was been able to acquire a shed for her shop. This allowed her to stop hawking to sell her goods. (Full)

From Cambodia:

Here is a report I received from the microfinance institute we used to issue a loan to Mrs Tol Sok:
“We met with Mrs. Tol Sok in late March and she was doing well. Mrs. Tol Sok purchased fertilizer for her farm. She is very grateful for her loan because she received it at a very fortuitous time. She needed to start farming but did not have any money to purchase supplies for her farm. Without this loan, she and her husband would not have been able to farm this season.

Mrs. Tol Sok is sad that she is old and her daughter is so young. She is afraid that she will not be able to take care of her daughter when her daughter needs her most. So she is working hard to give her daughter the best education so that she can have a good profession and take care of herself.

At this moment we are sorry to inform you that Mrs. Tol Sok’s group is delinquent on their loan. We are unsure of the cause.” (Full)

A more detailed report shows the Tol Sok Village group missed their repayment of June, although up to 48% of the loan was already repaid. As the loan runs up to early next year, I am pretty sure they will be able to catch up.

From the Philippines:

Edmar ortega used his loan to purchase additional stocks for his sari sari store, and to repair his existing vehicle so he could give better services to his regular costumers. His business keeps on improving. (Full)

Also from the Philippines:

Virginia Fabros is a four-year client of ASKI, the local Kiva partner. With her previous loans their house was being renovated and is now made out of concrete. She was able to purchase more seeds such as string beans, eggplant and bitter gourd. In addition to that, her husband bought stocks of fertilizers needed to grow their vegetables. (Full)

From Ecuador:

Piedad Arminda Calderon Escaleras invested in her food business. She now rents a space on a main street to sell her encebollado instead of selling from her home. Now that she is selling her food in a busier location she has more customers. (Full)

From Mongolia:

Oyuntuya Dashchoimbol received a 4,000,000 tugrug (about US$2,850) loan from XacBank, Kiva’s MFI partner in Mongolia, in May 2009 and is currently paying off the loan.
She requested this loan to purchase more inventory for her food retail business. She bought a great amount of poultry and her business is progressing day by day. Her working capital increased and her monthly profit reached 300,000 tugrugs (~US$210).
With her business earnings she bought necessary things for her children’s education. She helped to her oldest daughter buy a ger so that she could live on her own. Her life improved greatly and her business is expanding. (Full)

How we discovered Claudia Martinez

As some of you know, I worked in the Dominican Republic. I arrived days after the Haiti earthquake early January this year, and flew back to Rome last week.

I already told you a story from my time in the Dominican. Something else happened during my stay, something to be know of “The story of Claudia”.

When we set up our office in the Dominican, we called in staff normally working in other parts of the world. One of them was Anisa. I worked with her back in my Dubai days, where we considered her “the mama” of the office. While she was probably the shortest of us all, she had the biggest heart of the bunch. Anisa is the person who considered the office as dear to her heart as her own home. She is the one coming in early to put a flower on people’s desk, goes around with soup when we  – once again – have a long day… And come up with the craziest ideas, born in her big heart.

I called in Anisa to help us in Santo Domingo…. where she immediately resumed her ‘mother-ing’ role, and looked after us like we were her own. For the coffee, the fresh fruit and the occasional “time for you to get out of the office, you have been here long enough!”.

In the early days of the emergency, she wrote me an email, titled “Gesture of generosity to appreciate a local Santo Domingo hairdresser”. (and I thought: What now?):

Peter,

I read the attached article in Gulf News on 23.01.  It really touched me that here is a soul who is reaching out to others in her best capacity, physically, financially as well as emotionally… as she is doing it with her heart.
I am sure she herself penny pinches but has a heart of gold and filled with generosity to reach out and bring a smile on another human being.

So I cut out the article and was going to ask any one of our staff who would be in Santo Domingo to trace her. I wanted someone to give her a small donation from myself. This would then enable her to continue spreading the happiness and cheer to a lot more other ‘Haitian patients’.

But then I was asked to come her myself. I was in a state of shock …. Was this a calling for me to come over personally and seek this woman out or what?

Well, I cut out the article and from the time I have arrived I have requested Amelia and Elizabeth to help me trace this lady – Claudia Martinez. Which has not been easy.

Eventually, Elizabeth managed and has spoken to her and we have her phone number. Claudia is willing to come to the Hotel and meet with us. So my humble request is can we keep a small box for a collection? Have a write up stuck up above the coffee station with the box and staff can pitch in as they feel best.
With the donation and our best wishes she can then continue with her ‘good deeds’?

An opportunity for the our staff  to reach out and bring some happiness and support to the less fortunate…..

Thank you,

Anisa.

I read the article Anisa attached. It was a piece from Gulfnews, one of the local newspapers in the UAE. It told the story of Claudia Martinez, a Dominican lady who volunteered to help some of the Haitian earthquake victims in the main Santo Domingo hospital. She helped by… doing their hair. As the story said: “Her task may seem trivial, but she believes restoring a bit of beauty and humanity to people who have lost everything and survived deplorable conditions is important.”

A story that speaks to one’s imagination. We collected over US$300, and finally met Claudia in March. She came over to the office together with the hospital volunteers’ coordinator. I introduced her to the staff in the office, and we engaged into a lively conversation. Claudia, a single mother of two, was not aware of the newspaper story. “One day, a guy at the hospital took some pictures and asked me some questions, and that was it”, she said. Nor did she realize it was picked up by Agence Presse, and got republished in many newspapers all over the world, from the US to the Middle East, Pakistan and New Zealand. And she had no idea how she had inspired others.

We emphasized the money we collected was for her, and to use it for something she wanted to do. Asked what she wished for, she answered: “I wished I could learn how to read and write. I wished I could give my kids a proper education”. That was quite a challenge as she could barely make ends meet, and her eldest is speech impaired. But still, she volunteered most of her time at the hospital. “It is heart-breaking to see how little those people in the hospitals really have”, she said. “I feel rich compared to them”…

Anisa (L) and Claudia (R)

We sat outside for a long while, with staff from the office joining into the conversation, and Gaby patiently translating between English and Spanish. We got to understand the hospital is the largest in the Dominican. Often patients were brought in, and left there. Many did not have a change of clothes. Kids without anything but a pair of pants. Their families simply did not have the means to take care of them. Neither did the hospital. Claudia asked if we wanted to come over, to see for ourselves. Which we promised to do.

Since then, “our project” continued: we donated several parcels with used toys for the kids and basic clothing for the patients. But then another thing happened unexpectedly: Just incredible how things go sometimes…:

A few weeks after I met Claudia, I was in North Italy, on a short break with my family. Frau Preindl, the owner of the hotel, knew I worked in the Haiti emergency. Just as we were leaving, Frau Preindl said “wait!”. She grabbed an envelope and put it in my hands: “Here, you will know what to do with it. Go and make a difference. You know, we seldom realize how lucky we are. We have all we need, so the least thing we can do, is to share some of it.”

It was not until I got back to the Dominican, three days later, I realized there was a real significant sum in that envelope. And I did not have to think long what to do with the money…

Stay tuned for Part II of the story.

The news spread around, and quite a few people from work follow the project. While working on mission in the Dominican Republic for the Haiti earthquake relief operation, I had one of my colleagues come to me at the end of his mission. He said working in Santo Domingo and Haiti opened his eyes more, and he became more aware of what he could do in life, and for those around him.

He asked if he could give me a -considerable- amount of money, part of his daily allotment for working here, so he could do some good through me. He wanted to remain anonymous, but still wanted to contribute.

So the loans I allocated today are his “giving back” to the world, a world he felt now much more part of.

I was taken by this gesture, as it illustrates how ‘doing good, spins off’, but also towards him, I said “Do good, and good will come to you”.

Thanks again, my anonymous friend! May the good come to you too! Your loans were allocated to agricultural entrepreneurs in South America, like the Santa Lucia Communal Bank entrepreneurs, consisting of 18 women. They are all friends and neighbors and are working in their fifth loan cycle.

Justina, the team leader, requested a loan to establish a business selling slaughtered chickens. At first she will sell to the neighborhood businesses. Then, she wants to have her own henhouse to raise, fatten, and sell the chicken herself. This will leave her with greater income.

Her Kiva entrepreneurial group is part of the 6 loans we allocated this week:

• Cautivo Group in Peru: $100
• Antonia Valverde in Peru: $50
• Virgen De Bronce Group in Ecuador: $100
• Intihuatana Group in Peru: $100
• Santa Lucia Group in Paraguay: $100
• Blanca Deleg in Ecuador: $50