For Our Kiva Calendar That Isn't

[Guest]

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[Jill]

I don’t know about you, but I know that for me, not having a Kiva Calendar as an excuse to ooh and aah and cherry-pick Entrepreneur pictures for has felt like a really great loss.  It’s as though some of the great pleasure I used to feel when I came across a really wonderful picture now has a little dagger-poke mixed in with it as I realize there’s nowhere to highlight and celebrate these special pictures, anymore.  Yes, I know, of course, about all the old picture threads we have here, but somehow, it just doesn’t feel quite the same.


Not that this idea is going to be any great improvement over posting in the old picture threads, necessarily,  but…..


When I just now saw this pic and responded, inside, with an  “Ooh, I  just love this picture!”, I thought maybe it’d be fun to have a “Virtual Calendar” thread where we could post our wouldhavebeen choices for calendar entries.   The one silver lining in this dark cloud of our disappointment would be that for the purposes of our “Virtual Calendar,” we won’t be limited by the size constraints that prevented us from suggesting some of the smaller but incredibly lovely pictures we might have wanted to post, before.

Anyway, it was just an idea.   You seemed to like my calendar idea (from what seems like a long long time ago, now).  Though this wouldn't be anywhere nearly so satisfying, maybe we could have some fun with a virtual one, as well.


http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&action=about&id=65054&_tpos=6&_tpg=1

Agustina Lupaca De Huashualdo- Purchase Cattle- Peru

[KivanSteven]

It definitely has my vote Jill-a great one, and for once her cute little friend is facing forward!  Only wish the poor thing wasnt held onto by a rope with no slack, but thats being a little over-sensitive Im sure.

[Eli]

And my most favorite borrower and photo, Dominga Lupaca De Lupaca:


www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&action=about&id=60456[/size]]www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&action=about&id=60456



Mrs. Dominga is 63 years old, finished high school, is married and has 7 children, two of which are girls, and has 3 granddaughters. They live in the Hyariquisana communtiy, Pilcuyo district, El Colloa Llave province, and Puno region. She is actually the secretary of the Lupkanas Communal Bank, which she decided to participate in due to lack of capital since her business was not doing well due to illness from being struck by lightning.

Initially she obtained a loan of $115, with which she purchased iron as springs, routers, electrodes, etc. to create of stakes, spikes, rings, and other items. With the loan of $350, which will be repaid in 4 months, she will continue investing in the purchase of raw iron, 1/8 electrodes, springs, and car parts, to make spikes, hatchets, stakes, and other tools. This activity allows her to stay close to her children and her husband.

She is very happy, because she has recuperated and her business is improving little by little, as well as her income, since she spends every Sunday selling her items at the Llave Fair. Her stand is located in Jiron Sucre, near the Santa Barbara Plaza. Her dream is to have more capital so she can make more agricultural tools, and that her grandchildren get an education.

[Jill]

Looking, looking, looking for a silver lining.   Still looking.      Looking…..
Ah!  Found one.

If I can’t have Señora Hurtado and her lovely llama in my personal portfolio, at least I can visit them whenever I want if I put them in our imaginary calendar.
http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&action=about&id=64193

Teofila Perez Hurtado- Breeding Llamas - Peru


EDIT: Speaking of silver linings, says one of your very most UN-Pollyanish Kiva Friends, another advantage to having only an imaginary calendar as opposed to the real Kiva Entrepreneur Calendar some of us will sorely miss***, an advantage apart from our being able to add great pictures to it, no matter how small their size, is that we also can post whatever pictures we love and not have to be concerned about whether some country is being overrepresented.   I just realized this as I noticed that the three pictures that have been put here so far, sheerly by accident, it turns out all are out of Peru.  So, yes, Diane must be having a wonderful time getting to know some of these beautiful people up close and personal....

*** Please don't anybody think that because I'm saying that some (read, probably, all) of us will sorely miss the Kiva Entrepreneur Calendar that that, in any way, was intended as a dig at the Quilt Calendar that so many of you worked on so hard and which looks like will end up really special....

[Tatiana]

Love Señora Hurtado and her llama, Jill!

This picture was one of those pictures that didn't have the right size to add to the calender options, I would have loved to suggest it otherwise.

Good that size doesn't matter that much for "our calender that isn't" (And yes, it's also from Peru ):




We find Alejandra and her charming husband located in front of a school in the city of Ayaviri, offering a wide variety of sweets, cookies, sodas, etc. for sale to the students and other pedestrians in said city. Alejandra is 56 years old and her loving husband is 71. They always have been entrepreneurial and hardworking people; both are from Ayaviri. Since starting their family, they dedicated themselves to working the land, a noble enterprise that helped them educate their son who is now a professional and living independently. They retired from this labor when they found it became too physically demanding as they grew older. For this reason, they decided to invest their savings and start a business selling snacks/sweets. This activity brings them much joy, as it provides them with financial stability and peace. The wish of this humble couple is to prosper in this endeavor and, to do this, they are considering purchasing another tricycle/tram and additional products with which to expand their sales efforts. Let’s help seal the plans of this loving couple.

[RichardF]

Wallpaper: Turn any photo into cool desktop wallpaper with a calendar

Find your favourite image on Kiva, select your options and hey presto you have a really great calendar wallpaper for your desktop.

This still works!   

[abc]

Oh thanks Richard!
I wasn't sure how to get the calendar part on there.
Maybe by January 2009 I'll have this figured out.

[Jill]

Just came across this microscopic Entrepreneur photo.   It’s a good thing we don’t have to worry about size restrictions for the borrowers we want to highlight in our imaginary calendar.   I thought it was so wonderful…. the composition of it, the colors of it, the lovely slice-of-live view it gives us of making a living, a life in Togo.

Question for you computer and/or photo wizards: 
Is there really no way where you can take a neat photo like this and enlarge it so that even those without perfect 20-20, almost x-ray vision might be able to enjoy it?


http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&action=about&id=66302&_tpos=4&_tpg=2

Afi KueÐadja – Food Market - Togo

[P, B and J]

I love this photo very, very much, but I wasn't around when the loan went up, drats!  There are fellow KFers who were very lucky to be able to get on it though! 


http://kiva.s3.amazonaws.com/img/w800/198230.jpg

Mame Diaby is a married woman and mother of six children. She wants to strengthen her business in order to better meet the family expenses. She is going to start a business in netetou (seeds from the Nere tree that are turned into a local food) and at the same time buy and sell peanut butter. [...]

~Jackie~

PS. Jill, the fur on the llama in the pic up there looks like it is so very soft!  Maybe the softness of the lighting contributes to that feeling about it, and I've never felt llama fur (I don't think), but it gives me the impression of being so downy soft!

[Diane R]

Having just felt llama fur last week    I can vouch for it being sometimes soft, but it can also be somewhat matted and coarse (at least while it's still on the llama).  If you want soft, you want alpaca, baby alpaca, or best yet, vicunya.  Note that all of these are *fibers* rather than *wool*, so they are softer than and not scratchy like wool, and yet are extremely warm and waterproof while still being lightweight.  Llamas, alpacas, and vicunyas are shorn only once a year.

happy to be helpful,
--Diane.