Inadequate business descriptions, and other questionable loans

[Guest]

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[KivanSteven]

Thanks for the feedback guys...wanted to know if I was alone on this one and being a little too critical or not.  Maybe you guys caught the loan a few days back, maybe even yesterday perhaps, of the dozen or so chickens freshly split right in half ready for sale...I have loaned to a butcher or two in the past, but the picture itself was almost too grotesque for my liking, and that alone turned me off, rather than the actual business.

[Diane R]

I did see the chicken-sales loan you're referring to, Steve: it was for $1,025 and she was fully funded the same day (yesterday).  I clicked on the loan, not being able to tell from the thumbnail what the photo was showing.  Of course in truth, that's what a chicken looks like when it's prepared for sale, but the reality doesn't make the photo any more palatable if one finds it disturbing.  Sort of like that butcher with the sheep we had a few months ago....

--Diane.

[Antonia]

Diane........ I just cannot lend to those who want to buy fertilizers  because I love biologically produced vegetables.............

[KivanSteven]

Thankfully Kiva offers a large variety of loans that permit most people to find those that they feel they can support without jeopardizing their personal convictions...unless of course your conviction is opposed to micro-lending.

[Steff]

I agree with Diane about cosmetics being a waste of money and resources.  On the other hand I think that sometimes that is the best way a particular entrepreneur can provide for her family and still be home to take care of the kids.  In those cases I probably would loan. 

Steff

[KivanSteven]

True guys, I find that a business I might not otherwise be all that interested in loaning to on the surface can really become one that is more personal and engaging to you based solely on the context of why that business is being created and operated...kids, illnesses, prevalent or detailed hardships, etc etc...someone with decent write-up skills will know exactly what to sell to the loaners to draw them in, which is why I also am occasionally forced to question if some stories might be exaggerated or embellished slightly at times to give them that little extra notoriety and appeal.

[KivanSteven]

Hey guys, did anyone catch 60 minutes on sunday, 12/9?  Had to do with the dwindling gorilla population in the Congo.  It was very troubling, the pictures they showed were very grotesque and disturbing as gorillas murdered by people involved in the charcoal trade were lined up one by one...arms and legs sprawled across the ground as if they were as human as you and I.  Charcoal traders have been burning portions of the deep jungle and they cover it with a clay material I believe they said in order to create charcoal, which just about everyone uses for survival in the local villiages.  The killing of the apes is related to simply sending a message to local rangers to back off of their illegal charcoal production.  Apparently there are only about 700 gorillas remaining, and they showed or mentioned at least 12 that were very recently murdered, "execution style" to the back of the head.  These gorillas for the most part have been trained to tolerate and accept human presence without much hostility, which makes it all the more troubling...how dispicable can human being become...I know that might sound harsh but if you catch the piece I assure you that you wont be content with what you see and learn.  Currently there are fighting militias and warlords in the same areas so these rangers cant even get near the gorillas to protect any of them...they could all be slaughtered in no time and there is nothing anyone can or is doing anything about.  Im usually sentimental when it comes to stories concerning the deplorable treatment of animals, but like many people thats as far as my sentiments go unfortunately, but this was beyond anything Ive really seen before so it made all the more of an impression. 

So just a reminder that if you see any loans having to do with the charcoal trade in some parts of Central Africa, most particularly the Congo, please be advised there may be a bigger story to it all.


It can be viewed here:
http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/60minutes/main3415.shtml

and I would highly recommend taking 15 minutes to become more aware of the situation there.

[Eli]

Hey guys, did anyone catch 60 minutes on sunday, 12/9?  Had to do with the dwindling gorilla population in the Congo.

Oh Steve, thanks so much for the post to raise awareness.  i was not aware of the charcoal connection at all, and will avoid it at all costs.

My first contact to Kiva was to ask about the volcanic region of the Congo/Uganda and employing the locals as a way to help the gorillas, and if there was a way of narrowing the search to know (novice newbie Kiva question!).  Thankfully I didn't see 60 Minutes because it would have hurt my heart just way too much.  I have great difficulties with man's inhumanity to noble creatures, let alone noble and endangered creatures with a social network that is astounding.  Okay, can't stand man's inhumanity to man either, but animals that can't speak for themselves kicks it up a notch. 

This is a favorite organization, and a place to go to further raise an awareness:  www.gorillafund.org.

[Natasha]

Thanks for the heads up Steve,

No moral judgment to those who decide to loan to the following (each to their own), but for me, I will just add that to the list of loans that I won't choose to support (even if I have in the past). The list has been growing since my time here (some get added when I see a loan category I hadn't seen before).

My list of "what not to loan to" includes:
#Cigarette production (that one added to the list just last night when I saw a loan for that business)
#Bush Meat
#Weapons (though I can't remember seeing any of those yet)
#Slaughter houses
#Inadequate loan descriptions
#Charcoal (added right now)
#Raising dogs and guinea pigs for food
#Anything that has a dead animal in the photo

All I can say how sad I am about how inhumane humans can be

[KivanSteven]

Do you girls think its worth dropping Kiva a message just to make them aware if they arent already?