I'm going where? Ukraine!
Being Kiva Fellow is being flexible, and for me that meant both the fear and the thrill of going where I'd never thought I'd go - the former Soviet Union! As a media fellow in Eastern Europe, I've been traveling and photographing Kiva borrowers in Southern Ukraine and Crimea - near the black sea - for about a month now. I've met farmers who have taken out loans for greenhouses, drip irrigation and small motor tillers through one of Kiva's field partners here - ACM (Agro Capital Management)....
Stories tagged with Lending
Oct 10, 2013
Ukraine
Oct 10, 2013
Kenya
The media hype may be winding down but many of us here in Kenya are still shaken by the Westgate terrorist attack. While my own experience may not be as compelling as those in the news, it has left me with a deeper compassion for those who live in constant fear.
Early...
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Oct 10, 2013
Global Update
My personal mission statement: As a Kiva Media Fellow, my goal for this journey in Southeast Asia is to share the stories of Kiva borrowers to the world, through my eyes and my lens. I want to help people see how their contributions from around the world change the lives of so many.
...
Oct 10, 2013
Tanzania
One of my favorite weekend activities in New York City is to go out to eat with my husband and try new restaurants. New York has some amazing food and a lot of unique restaurants to visit. When I learned I would be going to Tanzania I was very excited to spend some time in East Africa. I decided that while there I wanted to make sure and sample different local food.
So here I am, halfway across the world, ready for my food adventure to begin. Will it be some strange bug or exotic fruit, maybe a rare meat that is only known in this... Continue Reading >>
So here I am, halfway across the world, ready for my food adventure to begin. Will it be some strange bug or exotic fruit, maybe a rare meat that is only known in this... Continue Reading >>
Sep 9, 2013
Global Update
I am not a foodie, but if I stayed in Georgia long enough, I would be. Georgian fruits and nuts are plentiful and delicious. Georgian wine is known throughout the region. The use of fresh herbs is subtle.
One of the benefits of working at LLC Credo is lunch. For several years, one of the staff members, Eva Shermadini, provided delicious lunches for staff. She had a staff of 2 cooks who worked in her home and a driver who would... Continue Reading >>
I am not a foodie, but if I stayed in Georgia long enough, I would be. Georgian fruits and nuts are plentiful and delicious. Georgian wine is known throughout the region. The use of fresh herbs is subtle.
One of the benefits of working at LLC Credo is lunch. For several years, one of the staff members, Eva Shermadini, provided delicious lunches for staff. She had a staff of 2 cooks who worked in her home and a driver who would... Continue Reading >>
Sep 9, 2013
REDUCING POVERTY BY CREATING OPPORTUNITY
As part of my original application to become a Kiva Fellow I wrote in my motivation statement the following. “As a volunteer, I would look forward to working in the front lines, directly with the people whom Kiva wants to help. It would provide an opportunity for me to have a positive impact face to face rather than making loans in front of a computer.”
This week that wish came true. I will share with you three stories from our field visits.
Continue Reading >>
As part of my original application to become a Kiva Fellow I wrote in my motivation statement the following. “As a volunteer, I would look forward to working in the front lines, directly with the people whom Kiva wants to help. It would provide an opportunity for me to have a positive impact face to face rather than making loans in front of a computer.”
This week that wish came true. I will share with you three stories from our field visits.
Continue Reading >>
Sep 9, 2013
Kenya
As I sank into the plush seat on the overnight bus toward the Kenyan coast for the first time, I let out a sigh of relief. Nairobi, aptly dubbed “Nairobbery” by locals and expats for the high number of muggings, break-ins, and carjackings, was starting to wear me out.
“The coast is different,” my regular taxi driver had told me. “People aren’t as stressed out, and they enjoy life.”
It was true. Maybe it was the lingering humidity or the pristine beaches, but people sauntered through the streets in Mombasa as though to fill the senses with the salty air... Continue Reading >>
“The coast is different,” my regular taxi driver had told me. “People aren’t as stressed out, and they enjoy life.”
It was true. Maybe it was the lingering humidity or the pristine beaches, but people sauntered through the streets in Mombasa as though to fill the senses with the salty air... Continue Reading >>
Sep 9, 2013
Global Update, Vietnam
Departed my family and friends in Ho Chi Minh, my flight arrived to Hanoi at noon, I could feel the heat and humidity even worse than Ho Chi Minh. A cab from airport to downtown Hanoi somehow eased the heat, it was a fixed price trip of 350.000VND (around $15). The host family was so... Continue Reading >>
Departed my family and friends in Ho Chi Minh, my flight arrived to Hanoi at noon, I could feel the heat and humidity even worse than Ho Chi Minh. A cab from airport to downtown Hanoi somehow eased the heat, it was a fixed price trip of 350.000VND (around $15). The host family was so...
Sep 9, 2013
Mexico
FIRST DAY
The first day can mark a unique moment, good or bad, in people's lives. The first day of school. The first day as a parent or newly wed couple. The first day of opening a new business. Although it does not dictate the rest of the experience, the first day commands a space in the brain that will remain permanent. Heck, I'm still having night sweats of my first day at a new school when I was younger. They are the beginning to an experience that knows no bounds and constructs a path unbeknownst to the agent of... Continue Reading >>
The first day can mark a unique moment, good or bad, in people's lives. The first day of school. The first day as a parent or newly wed couple. The first day of opening a new business. Although it does not dictate the rest of the experience, the first day commands a space in the brain that will remain permanent. Heck, I'm still having night sweats of my first day at a new school when I was younger. They are the beginning to an experience that knows no bounds and constructs a path unbeknownst to the agent of... Continue Reading >>