KIVA in French?

[Guest]

.

[Brian T. Neubert]

Greetings all from the Indian Ocean.  I am American Charge d'Affaires for the Union of the Comoros and hope to get one (or both) of their MFIs to join KIVA.  Are any of the documents or webpages available in French?  I see partners in Cameroon and a few other Francophone countries, so perhaps there are translations available?

In any case, I will pitch the idea to my counterparts in the coming weeks as part of a project to support nascent microfinance in the Comoros.  With some assistance, I think both institutions have a good chance of tapping into the KIVA community. 

Brian
U.S. Embassy

[wthepoo]

Hi Brian,

  to KivaFriends and  for your idea and enthusiasm.

I am not aware of any French webpages or material but I assume Kiva.org must have something like this because one of their mininum requirements for Field Partners is (from: http://www.kiva.org/about/pic_model#operational-reqs):

"Speak English, Spanish or French" - so they don't require English and are presumably very open for French-speaking MFIs.

I think you should contact Kiva directly and ask them:
http://www.kiva.org/about/help/email

Or maybe another KF knows more about French information material?!

Best wishes from Germany,
Wolfgang.

[KivanSteven]

Thanks Brian--I learned today exactly where the Comoros Islands are. 

Wolfgang's recommendations are a great start.  The web page he provided details all or many of the requirements of  and advantages for an MFI that works as a partner with Kiva.  We aren't affiliated with Kiva here at Kiva Friends but we have a pretty strong relationship with them, so if we can be of any help, especially in facilitating contact between yourself and the appropriate people at Kiva, please do not hesitate to let us know.  Kiva would look very favorably on the opportunity to break into a new country.  Keep us posted if at all possible and thanks for your get up and go initiative.

[Eli]

Welcome Brian and how exciting!  Good luck to you, you know we'll be cheering you on here at Kiva Friends!

I, too, learned some geography today thanks to your post.  Please allow me to share a Google map of Comoros.  Just use the minus button to draw back the map to see the details.  I recommend hitting it four times!

http://tinyurl.com/googlemap-forcomoros

[KivanSteven]

Adding to the map Eli provided:


- Capital City is Moroni
- Overall Population is around 731,000 (2008 est)
- The Comoros consist of 4 Islands which are volcanic in origin.
- Life Expectancy is 63.1 years
- 4.9 children born per woman
- Literacy is 56.5% (49.3% femaile)
- Considered one of the world's poorest countries according to the CIA Factbook
- GDP per capita (PPP) $1100
- Labor force is 80% agricultural
- 60% below poverty line


https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/cn.html

[Sengbe Pieh]

Since Eli & Steve started it:                                                                                                                                                     

                                                                                                                                                                       

The Comoros (pronounced /ˈkɒməroʊz/, listen (help·info); Arabic: جزر القمر‎, Juzur al-Qumur), officially the Union of the Comoros (French: Union des Comores, Arabic: الإتّحاد القمريّ‎, Al-Ittiḥād al-Qumuriyy) is an island nation in the Indian Ocean, located off the eastern coast of Africa on the northern end of the Mozambique Channel between northern Madagascar and northeastern Mozambique. The nearest countries to the Comoros are Mozambique, Tanzania, Madagascar, and the Seychelles. At 2,235 km² (863 sq mi) the Comoros is the third smallest African nation by area; and with a population estimated at 798,000 it is the sixth smallest African nation by population (though it has one of the highest population densities in Africa), and is the southern most member state of the Arab League. Its name derives from the Arabic word qamar ("moon").

The country officially consists of the four islands in the volcanic Comoros archipelago: Ngazidja (French: Grande Comore), Mwali (French: Mohéli), Nzwani (French: Anjouan), and Mahoré (French: Mayotte), as well as many smaller islands. However, the government of the Union of the Comoros (or its predecessors since independence) has never administered the island of Mayotte, which France considers an overseas community and still administers. Since Mayotte was the only island in the archipelago that voted against independence from France, and France has vetoed United Nations Security Council resolutions that would affirm Comorian sovereignty over the island, control was never passed to the Comoros.

The country is notable for its diverse culture and history, as a nation formed at the crossroads of many civilizations. It has three official languages—Comorian (Shikomor), Arabic, and French, and it is the only state to be a member of each of the African Union, Francophonie, Organisation of the Islamic Conference, Arab League, and Indian Ocean Commission, among other international organizations. However it has had a troubled history since independence in 1975, marked by an inordinate number of coups d'état.

                           

Here is the Wiki link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comoros

[Brian T. Neubert]

Thanks all, very helpful.  I will stay in touch as I try to move this forward.

Brian
Comoros

[wind5001]

Any news from Kiva, Brian? Just curious...