Kiva 35

This morning I made my 35th loan at Kiva! Martha, a retailer in Costa Rica, received a $25 loan. The 32nd - 34th loans were made back in May to Elizabeth, who runs a general store in the Philippines; Elena, who used the loan to purchase perfumes, creams, cosmetics, and clothing in Ecuador; and Elisabeth in Rwanda, who sells food, water, juice, soap, and lotions.

If you haven't heard of them, you can learn more about Kiva here. I've also blogged about Kiva a couple of times. Oh, and here's another. If you're hesitant about making loans through Kiva, here's what you need to know: 

• 100% of your donation will fund loans. Kiva does NOT take a cut. They are supported through lenders' additional donations (you can choose to add funds to this to cover administrative costs) and through grants, etc. 
• 450 volunteers and 154 field partners in 62 countries help to make this organization a success
• $326 million in loans since 2005
• The repayment rate is currently 98.97%

That last point means there's a good chance that the money you lend today will come back into your account later. And as the loans are repaid, you can lend that money over and over again. According to Kiva, I've lent (and re-lent) a total of $900 in the past three years. Even my tiny business and modest donations add up! Do you want to get involved? For a limited time, Kiva is giving away free trials. Click here to get started. And then come back and leave a comment so we can all find out who you helped!