Norway

[Guest]

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[Skimmis]

its not official yet, but a local MFI here in Norway is just going into final steps of partnering with KIVA.
So very soon Norway is also on the map , and you will be able to support business here in Norway.
I am sure you will all like to support a taxi driver from Norway.
It might even bee possible tu support making of smalahove and akevitt,  paragliding on Voss http://www.vosshpk.no/ og Bryggen i Bergen http://www.bloggersbase.com/travel/best-of-norway/

Norway is an expencive and cold land to live in, as a pilot the average loan will bee ca $ 20 000, with a max of $ 40 000, these limits will be higher after the pilot period.
Open your wallets and bee ready!
Official anouncement will follow from Kiva, probably later today ! 

[Peter S]

wow Sverre, thanks for bringing us that news, and I look forward very much to lending to impoverished hard-working Norwegians in the near future.

This is almost as strange and unexpected as Google having today changed its name to Topeka, in honour of the city in Kansas.

[wthepoo]

This is almost as strange and unexpected as Google having today changed its name to Topeka, in honour of the city in Kansas.

Ah, Peter, but that of course is nothing but a small gesture of repaying the courtesy:

On March 1, 2010, Topeka Mayor Bill Bunten issued a proclamation calling for Topeka to be known for the month of March as "Google, Kansas, the capital city of fiber optics." ... This was to help "support continuing efforts to bring Google's fiber experiment" to Topeka, though it was not a legal name change. Lawyers advised the city council and mayor against an official name change.

(Stupid lawyers...)

I'm far more excited about these forthcoming features of GoogleDocs: http://www.google.com/google-d-s/promos/storage.html

Anyway, I, too, am looking forward to joining you all on the first loans to Norwegian oil drillers - there'll be plenty of space on these loans, it seems -, provided they won't share currency risk.

Best wishes, have a great day,
Wolfgang.

[David2051]

 

[Patricia SF]

Is this an April Fools joke? 

[cpbailey]

[Robert]

It is definitely not an April Fool's joke. The first loan has now been uploaded:

Øyvind Narrestrek is 32 years old, married and the father of five children. One child attends school and the other four are still too young. He lives with his wife, his children and his mother-in-law in Kirkenes, a village in the county of Finnmark and located 2,470 kilometers from Oslo. Since he was a small boy, he has been helping his parents in their reindeer husbandry business. Now he has his own reindeer flock In winter Øyvind Narrestrek lives in his permanent residence in Kirkenes and in summer he moves with his reindeers.

Øyvind Narrestrek came to Kiva partner Sverreinstitusjon and applied for a loan of 270,000 kroner to buy more reindeers. This is his first loan with our institution. He promises to repay his loan in time and thanks the Kiva lenders for their support.

26 months loan from Sverreinstitusjon, Norway (2*), pilote status, currency risk possible


(click link to enlarge)
http://s3-2.kiva.org/img/w800/337881.jpg

[Skimmis]

It seems like the Norwegian team http://www.kiva.org/team/norway went crazy over the possibility to lend to their own backyard,
some of them basketed main parts of the first 10 loans to share with their friends. So i am sorry to tell you that the first loans got funded real fast in about 5 minutes.
You will just have to be alert for new loans coming up.
Contactus@kiva.no for more information.

[Patricia SF]

 

Oh my!!!!!!!!  As a way of paying homage to Rudolph the red-nose reindeer and as a way to repent for my sins of making a few United States loans, I better hurry and join this one!!!!! 

Wait!!!!!  Dog gone it!!!!!  It has shared currency risk, the repayment is too long, and it's to a man!!!!!   

[David2051]

(click link to enlarge)
http://s3-2.kiva.org/img/w800/337881.jpg