Journal entries that make an impact

[Guest]

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[Patricia SF]

Lovely journal update with photo from Kiva Fellow, Amber B., in Mongolia:

"Boriya and his wife operate a small shoe-making and repair shop from a small apartment room. Boriya studied leather working at school many years ago and now has taught his wife his skills. Every day the couple works from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM and repairs 20-30 pairs of shoes per day.

"With this loan, Boriya purchased shoe material, such as leather, paint, and soles. He received a large order from the local hospital to make shoes for the doctors and nurses. Boriya and his wife made over 40 pairs of shoes for the hospital with a cost of 5,000 MNT each and sold them for 15,000 each.

"This loan has had many positive impacts on Boriya's family. His son was able to purchase and move into a separate home, a traditional Mongolian felt tent. The family was able to build a yard around the land. Also, Boriya and his wife were able to take a much needed vacation to other provinces of Mongolia to both relax and purchase raw materials for their business. The earnings from the business provided all of these things.

"The family's ultimate goal with this loan was to be able to purchase a car, but they haven't reached this yet. Boriya is hoping with his next loan that he will be able to buy a car."

http://www.kiva.org/lend/218020
 

[carien]

Just wanted to share this update on the loan from Sarifa


Recently in Sarifa's town a senseless and brutal murder of a young teenage boy took place. Sarifa's extended family was involved in this tragic event. In her community revenge, pride and dignity are held in high esteem. Sarifa's entire family has been evacuated from the city to protect them and prevent further violence.

Sarifa has frozen her bakery at this time but she plans to return and reopen her business either when the authorities allow their entire clan to return or in her new location. In order to be sensitive and supportive of Sarifa, a new repayment schedule is being worked out.


Koret Israel Economic Development Funds (KIEDF)
Posted by Anna Avital from Negev, Israel Mar 12, 2011


I am so lucky beeing born in the right country never have to worry about my safety

[Amy-in-PHX]

Excellent video from Kiva Fellow John Murphy, about lending through EDESA in Costa Rica.  The structure is different from most MFIs.  Spanish with English subtitles here: 
(There is also a Spanish-only version, which you may need to be on vimeo, itself, to see.)

[Amy-in-PHX]

This is not the whole journal entry, but is the part that had the most impact on me.  The borrower who was interviewed, Pacesa, was a member of a group I made a loan to.  The update is found here, on Kiva:  http://www.kiva.org/updates/partner/365089 

I recently had the pleasure of meeting with a Kiva borrower named Pacesa, who is part of the Communal Bank Kantuta. She and her group are on their thirteenth loan cycle with ProMujer. Up until two months ago, Pacesa worked selling things in a market quite far from her home. She has now opened a convenience store close to her home where she sells a variety of items, including beer, soda, candy, eggs, and canned goods. With her most recent loan of 3,000 Bolivianos (about $425 USD), she was able to purchase the inventory to fully stock her store.

A social person who loves to laugh, Pacesa's favorite thing about running her store is having her friends come by throughout the course of the day. She also enjoys her work with the Communal Bank because she is good friends with the other women of the Kantuta group and enjoys seeing and catching up with them. She also appreciates the workshops and training sessions conducted by ProMujer's staff, finding them both relevant and helpful.

Perhaps most importantly, Pacesa has benefited greatly from ProMujer's previously mentioned healthcare services. Recently, she was diagnosed with cancer during a check-up with one of ProMujer's healthcare professionals. She had been to the hospital prior to this, but they had not detected it. The medical staff at ProMujer was able to help Pacesa and direct her where she needed to go for treatment.

Pacesa's dream for the future is that all three of her children are successful. She also hopes to be able to complete some renovations on her home in the near future.

Thank you so much for your support of Bolivian entrepreneurs like Pacesa!

To search for currently fundraising ProMujer loans on Kiva, click: http://www.kiva.org/lend?partner_id=59&status=fundRaising&sortBy=Most+Recent

No currently fundraising clients? Please check back soon! In the meantime, you can join http://www.kiva.org/team/friends_of_pro_mujer_bolivia

Best regards,

Julie Shea, KF13, Bolivia
Posted by Julie Shea from La Paz / El Alto, Bolivia, Feb 3, 2011

The original journal entry had a photo of the borrower at the top, smiling broadly, but I was unable to add it to this forum.  It does not seem to work the same way the main image on a loan page works. 

[Diane R]

The original journal entry had a photo of the borrower at the top, smiling broadly, but I was unable to add it to this forum.  It does not seem to work the same way the main image on a loan page works. 

Amy, I believe this is the photo you were referring to?



(To get this photo, I right-clicked on it and selected "Open image in new tab", then grabbed the image URL from that new page.)

--Diane.

[Amy-in-PHX]

Amy, I believe this is the photo you were referring to?



(To get this photo, I right-clicked on it and selected "Open image in new tab", then grabbed the image URL from that new page.)

--Diane.

Yes, that's it - Thanks, Diane.  I thought I tried the method of linking the photo that you describe, but it didn't work for me last night -- maybe I was just up too late!   

[charity]

http://www.kiva.org/updates/loan/419003
I really appreciated this journal update on a borrower in the Dominican Republic:

....
After the "official business" of the meeting had been conducted and all of the women had handed in their payments to Esperanza loan officer Elizer, I got to chat with Juana, a member of the group, one-on-one. This is Juana's fifth loan, which means that she has been diligent in paying back all of her previous loans in a timely manner. Juana's first loan was for 5,000 Dominican pesos, and she has worked her way up in credit, so that her current loan is for 10,000 Dominican pesos. Juana has five children, and is separated from her husband, meaning that her income is the primary source of financial support for her entire household.
...
Juana owns a small beauty products store, and has been in business for nearly four years. With her first loan from Esperanza, Juana purchased a small building, and was finally able to move her business out of her home. Juana is proud that she is able to sell the highest quality of skin creams and perfumes, and states that her loan lets her buy these high-quality products which help her earn much more money than she did when she was only able to carry cheaper, lower-quality beauty supplies in her store. Juana has used the profits from her business to build an addition on to her house and to add the amenity of running water. She loves to cook and care for her family, and her hope for the future is that her grandchildren will be able to receive a higher education at a university in the city.

[FoxyOxy]

http://www.kiva.org/updates/loan/419003
I really appreciated this journal update on a borrower in the Dominican Republic:

Wow.  When a journal update tells you that somebody you loaned to used the profits from their business to install running water....  Wow!  That must feel quite special!  Thanks for sharing charity.

[Amy-in-PHX]

A positive microfinance story, from KF Kate, serving at Caja Rural Senor de Luren in Peru (see http://fellowsblog.kiva.org/2011/11/05/this-is-what-a-successful-borrower-looks-like/ for the full text):

Her income breaks down like this: every day, she sells about 17 plates of food for 5 soles each. That’s 85 soles per day. However, her everyday costs are high: the cost of production (food inputs) is about 3 soles per plate, or about 50 soles per day. Her operating costs, which include occasional appliance repair and gas, cost about 5.25 soles per day. Finally, her administrative costs are about 2.34 soles per day. Overall, her daily profits come to about 27.50 soles each work day- that is just about $10 per day, 28 days a month. 

Making a $10 profit each day makes it difficult for her to make other investments in her life and business without taking out a loan.  Because she has had access to capital and microloans in the past, she has been able to afford capital investments like her stove (600 soles, $220.60), refrigerator (700 soles, $257.35), and tables, chairs and dishes (1000 soles, $367.65).

[Amy-in-PHX]

Thank you for supporting [the Borrower] with your loan. She has repaid the loan in full. With the loan, she bought machine for sewing.

[The Borrower] says that the loan helped the business because she was buying machine for sewing. With the profits, she was able to build [her] own house.  (Emphasis supplied.)

Vision Finance Company s.a. (VFC), a partner of World Vision International
Posted by Fiona Uwitonze from RUHENGERI/AKAYO, Rwanda Jan 9, 2012

http://www.kiva.org/updates/loan/473332