KIVA Revisited.

Every once in awhile, when I think about it, I go back to "KIVA" and check on my loans and make another micro-loan.

KIVA is one of my absolutely favorite organizations (besides Heifer International).

KIVA is a non-profit committed to fighting poverty through empowering people to start and improve their own businesses through micro-loans.

Each borrower shares a brief bio and photo; there are thousands of stories of courageous people trying to better their lives and the lives of their children. Many of them of are women.

To find a borrower, you can look at specific countries or particular sectors like: Agriculture, Education, Food, etc.... You can even use a filter to search for an attribute like: Fair Trade, Green practices, Underfunded areas or Conflict Zones.

Since it's founding in 2005, KIVA has distributed $480 million throughout 72 countries - many of these loans were lent in just $25 increments. They have a 99.03% repayment rate. Pretty amazing stats, right?

You pay through Paypal. It's super easy process. I've been a lender for several years now and highly recommend it to everyone.

It feels good to know that by taking the $25, I might have spent on a toy for my children or eating out, instead I am making a concrete difference in someone's life. That's something I can truly get behind.