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BenElberger
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« Reply To This #10 on: December 15, 2007, 01:43:12 PM » |
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Hey Guys,
On HOPE-DRC, they slowed down and eventually stopped fundraising because it became too cost prohibitive for them to take pictures in the field and post stories to Kiva given the security situation in Kinshasa. Interestingly, we learned from them that cameras are viewed very suspiciously by borrowers in the field and that was another hurdle to overcome as well.
We're actively exploring partnerships with other organizations in the DRC and hope to have them on Kiva soon!
Ben
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wind5001
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« Reply To This #11 on: December 15, 2007, 02:00:09 PM » |
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Thanks for this update, Ben! It's very much appreciated.
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Odette
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« Reply To This #12 on: December 15, 2007, 02:26:14 PM » |
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Ben, Could you please explain what "cameras are viewed very suspiciously by borrowers..." means?  Thanks. |
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BenElberger
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« Reply To This #13 on: December 15, 2007, 03:15:52 PM » |
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Odette,
Sure. The director of HOPE-DRC explained to me that borrowers found loan officers taking their picture to be suspicious and wondered why they were doing it, what they were going to do with the pictures, and worried about what kind of implications it had for security. We explained to him that in these poor security situations (i.e., Iraq) where posting a picture of a borrower to the Kiva website presents a security danger (real or perceived), Kiva allows the organization to blur the face of the borrower and/or change their name to "Identity Protected". He appreciated this but said that carrying the cameras and still taking the pictures was being seen very negatively and suspiciously by borrowers. In these cases, of course, we leave it up to the partner to negotiate the local environment as they often know much more than we can know from San Francisco.
Over time, HOPE DRC may find another way to use Kiva that is more acceptable to borrowers and we hope to work with them and Kiva lenders to continue to expand access to financial services in DRC.
Hope this helps.
Ben
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Kay
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« Reply To This #14 on: December 15, 2007, 03:23:21 PM » |
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Ben,
Could you give us any insight into what is going on with SEED?
Thanks so much.
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Dottie b
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« Reply To This #15 on: December 15, 2007, 04:09:05 PM » |
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Pictures without people would be okay in those circumstances - the shop, the farm, the goat. . . . Of course, it would still require a camera. . . . . and there will be at least one lender wondering why (s)he's being asked to lend to a goat. . . .  Dottie B |
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Wood Fairy Glenda
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« Reply To This #16 on: December 15, 2007, 04:11:52 PM » |
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I like your idea, Dottie! .... and yes, there would be at least one lender who would lend to a goat.  |
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Wood Fairy Glenda
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BenElberger
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« Reply To This #17 on: December 15, 2007, 04:14:18 PM » |
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Kay, Thanks for posting this up. Unfortunately, Kiva divides up who works with each organization to ensure that each partner has a Relationship Manager at Kiva and I don't work with SEED (so I'm not most up to date on the exact situation with that partner; it would be nearly impossible for everyone at Kiva now to know the most up to date info on each of our 75+ partners). I encourage you to write to contactus@kiva.org with any questions you might have here so that Kiva can best answer your questions. Best, Ben |
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Kay
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« Reply To This #18 on: December 15, 2007, 04:37:10 PM » |
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Okay, Ben, I'll do that!
Thank you very much!
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