Introductions

[Guest]

.

[StevePPS]

Hi. I am Steve and I live in Chicago's north side.  I am married with one son (1991).  I work for a small property tax consulting firm www.nationalbureau.com and I play squash, trumpet, and electric bass. I got hooked on Kiva with the Oct 31 2006 Frontline broadcast and like it more every day.  I believe one's appetite for work should be the only barrier to success and consider it a privilege to put some of my capital out there to make a difference for a few enterprising people.  I think emotional return is an excellent feature to include in my portfolio and Kiva pays handsomely.

[Odette]

Hello from Gibsons, British Columbia, Canada.  After spending time following different sites the Internet would take me, I discovered Kiva.  Not only is the concept of microfinancing interesting, the stories and pictures are inspiring.

[fredr1c]

Hello everyone. 

I'm Fred and I live in beautiful rural Orange County Virginia, about 20 miles or so west of Fredericksburg, with my wife, two boxers, and four cats.  Our county is at that crucial stage a lot of rural counties have to face sooner or later -- trying to find a balance between allowing some development and still preserving our rural quality of life and historical areas.

I'm a 20 year enlisted veteran of the U.S. Air Force.  Since I "retired" from the service I've worked as a software developer.

I learned about Kiva.org by watching the Frontline/World piece on PBS about 12 days ago.  I made my first loan within an hour of seeing that program.  That was a great, great feeling.

During my years overseas (and living near and visiting Mexican border towns in Texas and California) I sometimes saw the very ugliest interactions built around money, between foreign visitors who had more and citizens who had a lot less.

Kiva.org gives me the chance to create the very best kind of personal foreign exchange.  I'm grateful and glad for the chance to do so.   I'm also grateful for the opportunity to hang out with and listen to the voices of my fellow Kiva lenders

Fred

[Shirley]

Hi,
I'm Shirley from Calgary, Alberta. Glad to see some other Canadians here. I am new to Kiva and really looking forward to participating and meeting others.

I have been looking for a way to contribute to sustainability in under privileged areas and it looks as though Kiva may have found a formula that meets my objectives.

I have been a business owner and entrpreneur for many years and firmly believe in the talent and optimism of the individual. I also believe that a hand up is way more valuable than a handout.

I am anxious to see the results of my lending and look forward to passing the word and changing the world - one person at a time!

[Jill]

Hi,
      As an introduction, I will say, merely, that for almost my entire life, I have wanted, needed  things to be more "fair" in the world.   The common thread in my work as a lawyer, teacher, volunteer.  When I, as many of you, serendipitously came across KIVA, I just felt this big giant "Yes!", inside.  Maybe another name for that, simply, would be hope.
      I have become quite obnoxious about KIVA, trying to talk it up and share it with everybody I know.  Following is a portion of an e-mail I just sent my next door neighbor kids, whom I've long loved, along with gift certificate numbers for each of them.

   "....... I've gone totally bonkers with it, myself........
Right now, I get to say that I've invested in lavendar fields, a worm farm, three stone crackers,
beekeepers, a couple of young African women I'm trying to help stay
away from prostitution, a guy who has started a mushroom growing
business in his cellar, a one-time famous theater-dancer whom the
vagaries of life reduced to a spare parts peddler, a number of people
trying to help fight off AIDS, a taco stand, a bookstore in Kenya, and a Nigerian (maybe would-be) rock star, among others.   I'm trying to promote a different kind of United States foreign
policy by supporting little businesses in Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam,
Cambodia, Haiti, and nearly twenty other countries.......
        I'll tell you what I told my nieces and nephew:

        Because there are so many possibilities, wait to choose people who, for
some reason, really "hook" you -- either because of their stories, or
their pictures, or because of the kind of work they're trying to do, or,
maybe, merely because of their geographical location.   Even if you don't
find anything that really grabs at you the first few days you go there,
be patient, eventually you'll find ones you'll really like.   And then
you'll feel the fun in being able to share them with your family and
friends and can say: "Oooh, look at my people!  They're so neat!"..... "
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   If you haven't already checked out Muhammad Yunus' Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, check out the video at:

http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2006/yunus-lecture.html

       It surpasses inspirational.

   I am as pleased as I can be to be a member of the KIVA community with all of you.   I welcome you, I welcome me, as all of us will welcome every single other individual and family we can bring into the circle.
On this, my fifty-seventh birthday, I say, "Way to go, KIVA.  Way to go, you guys."
               Best,
                Jill

[michael]

I am as pleased as I can be to be a member of the KIVA community with all of you.   I welcome you, I welcome me, as all of us will welcome every single other individual and family we can bring into the circle.  On this, my fifty-seventh birthday, I say, "Way to go, KIVA.  Way to go, you guys."           

Yup, she's hooked.

Welcome, Jill!

[qwiksilver]

Why didn't someone think of this before? 

That's my first impression of Kiva.  I am a big fan of anything commonsense and when I heard of Kiva I too felt a big YES.  Here is commonsense at its best.  No handout that disappears into the ether.  No patronizing charity.  My money helps this person, comes back and goes back out to help the next one.

Most importantly, it maintains a the dignity of those who take out the loans.  They get to feel a part of the world and contributors to their communities.  They can hold their heads up in society because they are not dependant.  One day they will be the ones loaning out money.

We can hope.

[Wood Fairy Glenda]

Hi MYgirls, Jill and Crickett -  Welcome, and glad to have you with the rest of us loaner addicts. I really appreciate reading all you have to say...... and knowing that I'm by no means alone in this world.  One word of advice:  Just don't make the Kiva web site your homepage!

[Laurie]

Time to stop lurking...

I first heard of Kiva on Frontline several months ago, but was not able to explore the website until a few weeks ago.  LOVE at first sight (or would that be "site"?).

My husband and I are retired, and live and travel in North America in our motorhome.  Since we began our travels in 2003,  our opportunities to contribute to a community by volunteering or financial contribution have been more limited than when we were in a stationary home.  Kiva is perfect for us, a way to contribute to the world community no matter where we currently call home.

The downside:  I have become completely obsessed!  Where did my free time go?? Into the ethernet, on Kiva.  Every friend or family member within shouting distance has endured (happily, it seems) a Kiva demo - with a gift certificate to get 'em kick-started.

After clicking through the Kiva website, I finally found Kiva Friends.  I'm not sure how often I will find the time to visit, but have already snagged business card "advertising", widgets for my blog  (LaurieAndOdel.blogspot.com) - or did I get those directly from Kiva? - and a few flyers.  I hope to find good ideas to keep my teenage niece and nephew involved in Kiva, too.

Kiva has opened up a new world for me!

-- Laurie (and Odel)

[Spartan]

Aloha and welcome to the community. 

Wow four years mobile - must be nice. I plan on doing the same thing one day on my hog when I get * cough* much *cough* older and can afford to retire. That is of course if I don't check out prior for some reason.