When you follow your heart, you can be anything but wrong. You can go anywhere but distant from yourself.
... Continue Reading >>Stories tagged with Lending
Mar 3, 2017
Cameroon
Determination. Adaptability. Patience. Love. These are the key virtues you need when you embark on a journey through coffee and cocoa plantations in Cameroon, ready for an epic and folkloric adventure.
Folks, next time that you enjoy your favourite chocolate bar or sip your matinal double expresso, I hope you’ll remember the stories that follow, the story of Joseph, Ella, Beatrice, Simon and many others who, hopefully, you will decide to support after reading this.
Despite being the 5th biggest... Continue Reading >>
Cameroon
Determination. Adaptability. Patience. Love. These are the key virtues you need when you embark on a journey through coffee and cocoa plantations in Cameroon, ready for an epic and folkloric adventure.
Folks, next time that you enjoy your favourite chocolate bar or sip your matinal double expresso, I hope you’ll remember the stories that follow, the story of Joseph, Ella, Beatrice, Simon and many others who, hopefully, you will decide to support after reading this.
Despite being the 5th biggest...
Mar 3, 2017
Kenya
Kenya
Sanergy launched its first toilet, the Fresh Life Toilets (FLT) in November 2011. From then Sanegry has been working in slum areas of Nairobi, including Kwa Njenga, Mathare, Kwa Reuben, Makadara, Kamukunji, providing sanitation services. During my one month at Sanergy I was eager to understand how Sanergy is living to fulfil its brand name, Fresh life, and how can toilets bring fresh life, worst still in slum areas. With my little knowledge of slum areas in Nairobi, I... Continue Reading >>
Fresh life, live fresh... providing good sanitation
Mar 3, 2017
Mozambique
Mozambique
Student crossing the railway as we drive by in search of a borrower's house
In the past 3 weeks I've had the opportunity to visit dozens of Kiva-supported borrowers, funded by hundreds of generous individuals worldwide, thanks to Kiva's local partner Hluvuku-Adsema, in Mozambique, Africa. Each visit was unique on its own and each individual I met could have their own biopic. But, given my filming skills (or the complete lack thereof) I was more interested in hearing their stories and how the loans changed...
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Jan 1, 2017
Liberia
Liberia
It is easy to notice that the majority of expatriates in Liberia live in a bubble, a world of security, running water, working toilets, electricity, and even air-conditioning and gyms for the lucky ones. What is harder to remain aware of is that Monrovia, Liberia’s capital city, itself lies in a bubble. Despite the lack of toilets and electricity for the vast majority, Monrovia is, by Liberian standards, a land of privilege. In “the bush”, as it’s called, food security is still a huge issue. Most people are subsistence farmers, and they are often unable to grow enough food to sustain... Continue Reading >>
Jan 1, 2017
Kenya
Kenya
As a Kiva Fellow in Kenya, I have had the privilege to work with farmers from Kiva’s partner, Asante Foundation. It’s an exciting time right now, as farmers are harvesting their first ginger crop that they planted in April. One borrower I met was Juma, an experienced maize farmer and a father of three who took a risk this year to venture into ginger farming.
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Juma with his ginger harvest. Juma will use the income to buy land, build a house, and send his children to school.
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Dec 12, 2016
Liberia
Liberia
Banjor Community is a wonderful area. It has friendly people, beautiful beaches, a gym, a golf course, the ruins of what was once West Africa’s largest hotel, over 160 schools, and now, thanks to Joseph Pambu, a computer lab and training program. The one thing this community lacks is electricity. Despite its location only a few miles from Liberian Electricity Corporation’s (LEC) headquarters, District #17, where Banjor Community is located in rural Montserrado, has not had electricity for 20 years. The copper wiring was stolen during the war, and Liberia’s government has not yet gotten... Continue Reading >>
Dec 12, 2016
Ghana
Ghana
I can still remember feeling overwhelmed the first time I made a Kiva loan. So many options, so many deserving Kiva borrowers — where to begin? I didn’t have a preference on region, country, or loan type, but I did know with certainty that I wanted to lend to a woman.
Microlending was...
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Dec 12, 2016
Burkina Faso
I have explored the Macchu Picchu in Peru and witnessed the tranquil peace of temples in Bagan, Myanmar. I have visited the bustling city of Dhaka, Bangladesh and I have seen the breathtaking Ajmer Palace in India.
But I’d never been to Africa. And never yet to a country that ranked 183 out of 187 on the UNDP Human Development Index in 2014.
So when arriving in... Continue Reading >>
Burkina Faso
A wonderful night under the stars in the small village of Tiebele - thanks to new my best friend the mosquito net!
I have explored the Macchu Picchu in Peru and witnessed the tranquil peace of temples in Bagan, Myanmar. I have visited the bustling city of Dhaka, Bangladesh and I have seen the breathtaking Ajmer Palace in India.
But I’d never been to Africa. And never yet to a country that ranked 183 out of 187 on the UNDP Human Development Index in 2014.
So when arriving in... Continue Reading >>
Dec 12, 2016
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
November 7th was the 1 year anniversary of the end of Ebola in Sierra Leone. Everyone in the streets stood still for 3 minutes at 11am to both remember and rejoice.
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