Click a Button, Give a Little, Change the World

At Christmas, I was given a gift certificate for Kiva. If you don't already know about Kiva, it's time to find out!

Kiva facilitates giving micro loans to people in distant lands who really need the money to build their businesses and change their lives. Loans are as small as $25.00 per investor.

As an investor, you get to decide who you give the loans to. Your investment is pooled with the investment of other small lenders through banks in developing countries. Then the loans are given to small business owners living near these banks.

The owners grow their businesses, and pay back the loans in small increments over a few months. When the loan is repaid, you can take your money back, or reinvest in another small company.

In a world where 80% of humanity lives on less than $10 a day, these micro loans can make a huge difference to families and communities in less fortunate parts of the world.

To get a better sense of how Kiva works, check out this video:


A Fistful Of Dollars: The Story of a Kiva.org Loan
from Kieran Ball on Vimeo.


My Five Cent Challenge

If you're not quite ready to make a $25.00 investment, can you spare a few moments to donate five cents? Kiva, Save the Children and Intel have partnered in a program called
"The Small Things Challenge."

It’s a campaign based on the premise that every small action can make a big difference to ensure quality education and economic opportunity for all.

What's your part? Click through to the Small Things website and click a button or two. That's it. Intel will donate five cents for each click, up to $75,000 per quarter this year to be split equally between Kiva and Save the Children.

For so little energy, you can give your nickel's worth!

Please join me in changing lives.