School lending to promote global understanding, microfinance & young kiva fans

[Guest]

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[DanaLi]

As a high school studednt myself I would love it if Kiva could be part of my school. I think that in most high schools it would be no problem to raise 25 dollars a class. It might be harder in really poor neighborhoods or in elementry school but for the majority of high schools a dollar just means they might have to skip the soda with their lunch. People regularly bring in $5 each for pizza partys. Also givin the overcrowding in most classrooms the poorest children don't need a full dollar to get the class to 25. I think without the real money, no matter how little the amount is, children will not be as interested. Without putting in actual money I don't think they would get the same sense of directly contributing and it will not be as enriching a leason.

[Kay]

I completely agree, even though I'm long past high school.

[wind5001]

DanaLi,

thanks for giving the input from a student's perspective...I guess the rest of us is simply TOO OLD to remember the school days correctly...  I'm glad your post confirmed my vague memories.

 

Oli

[Jill]

     Hey....

     I just posted in the "I Loan Becauses" & The "About Me's" thread,
http://www.kivafriends.org/index.php/topic,915.0.html
that I'd written a teacher Lender this morning, and.... to my great delight,
he/she  (Foley?) wrote me back almost instantaneously.

     Here is what Teacher Foley wrote:

Hi, Jill!
Glad to meet you!  I have started a ONE Campaign Club at my school. Do you
know about the ONE Campaign? And we have a committee this year devoted to
KIVA ( and beadforlife, My soldier, UNICEF, etc). My committee chair is busy
familiarizing himself with the KIVA website so that he can make a
presentation to the Future Business Leaders of America sponsor. The idea is
to get that club and the entrepreneur class interested in doing a fundraiser
for KIVA. So I am very glad to hear from you because I am all for getting
schools and teachers involved. You have just given me another idea! Perhaps
my committee chair can go a step further. Perhaps he can talk our FBLA
officers into contacting the national club to get them to get all FBLA's in
all the states to participate in helping entrepreneurs in 3rd world
countries get started.

I find it strange, though, that Mexico would be considered a 3rd world
country!!! I wish their gov't would get its act together.

Foley Harper, Oakhill Bedlingtons
www.sandonoakhill.com

[Jill]

To All Teachers & Youth-Group-Connected Readers,

     On the off chance that you're just visiting and have not yet come upon the extensive discussion
devoted to KivaFriends' reaction to the death/murder of one of Kiva's Entrepreneurs,  Mark Agwonah,
please have a look at the discussion and KivaFriends' response to this loss:
http://www.kivafriends.org/index.php/board,29.0.html

      His death created the quintessential "teachable moment,"
this former teacher can say with quiet if sad assurance.
   
     As painful as it was, his death and how it came about-- and its impact on his community and on this community--
was just exactly the type of thing that could galvanize a classroom
(in this case, it galvanized an international community of KivaFriends),
and it can still lead to some wonderful explorations and learning opportunities,
which, if actualized, can give a little more meaning to his loss.