Kiva Blog

Mar 11, 2013 Kiva HQ KV
A deep dive into lending team design changes By Abe Wallin

At Kiva, we’re always working hard to improve our website. We believe all interactions on the site should be accomplished with minimal effort and create a memorable experience. With that in mind, we recently made some design changes to lending team pages. 
 
In doing so, our primary goal was to highlight the ways existing and potential members can get involved with a team. To do this, we cleaned up two areas within team pages: the “about” page and team message boards. After receiving feedback from team members, we wanted to write...
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Mar 11, 2013 Kiva HQ KV
Newest Field Partner: Kiva re-enters in Nigeria to help increase crop yields with Babban Gona By Amniya Shahbozova

Kiva is now in Nigeria! And we are extremely excited to work in this country again with our brand new partner, Babban Gona. One of the most populous countries in West Africa, it was named after the Niger River which runs through the country. Although playing a vital role in Africa’s economy, Nigeria has a high poverty rate of about 70% and an unemployment rate of over 23%. The number of unbanked people in the country is one of the highest in Africa, and access to banking services is particularly limited in rural areas. Luckily, some organizations exist that offer... Continue Reading >


Mar 8, 2013 Kiva HQ KV
Happy International Women's Day from Kiva! By Emily Wakefield

International Women’s Day has been observed since the early 1900s -- with the first “National Women’s Day” held in the United States in 1909, before women even had the right to vote. Today, it's become an official holiday in Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, China, Cuba, Laos, Mongolia, Montenegro, Russia, Tajikistan, Vietnam, and Zambia -- just to name a few. In many of these countries, IWD is celebrated like Mother’s Day and children give small gifts to their mothers or grandmothers. While women have undoubtedly made huge strides... Continue Reading >


Mar 8, 2013 Kiva HQ KV
Women Who Start: Why these entrepreneurs should be honored on International Women’s Day By Camille Ricketts

We're honored to have a guest post from UniversalGiving founder and CEO Pamela Hawley to celebrate International Women's Day -- and to showcase other women entrepreneurs who inspire us!   Start it. That's what women do. They are multi-taskers, collaborators, and community seekers. Add some healthy drive to get things done, and they are changing lives of people in their own backyard, and across the world.   We know from microloans that women are scaling their impact way beyond creating a business.  They are providing for their families and... Continue Reading >


Mar 7, 2013 Kiva HQ KV
Passport Series: Building a stronger Lebanon, empowering women By Emily Wakefield

Set on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea and bordered by Syria and Israel, Lebanon is a small country with big implications for the Middle East. The smallest mainland country in the region (even smaller than Connecticut), it is also one of the most diverse countries -- both culturally and religiously. Originally home to the Phoenicians, what is now Lebanon was at one time or another also occupied by the Assyrians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Crusaders, Ottoman Turks, and the French (who ruled until Lebanon declared independence in 1943) -- all of which have left their mark on... Continue Reading >


Mar 6, 2013 Kiva HQ KV
Bank of Bob is climbing the charts -- thanks to YOU! By Camille Ricketts

The International Bank of Bob burst onto the scene yesterday -- chronicling lender and author Bob Harris' journey around the world to meet Kiva borrowers and see how loans have changed their lives. Needless to say, we were very excited. But then something even more magical happened... the book started climbing the charts! First it was #55 on Barnes & Noble and named one of Amazon's "Movers and Shakers." Then suddenly, it was #11 on Amazon's Bestselling Books list! And by the end of the day it was at #3! Today is the book's second day in... Continue Reading >


Mar 5, 2013 Kiva HQ KV
The International Bank of Bob is out today! By Camille Ricketts

It's a day we (and many Kiva fans) have been waiting for -- for a long time: The book The International Bank of Bob is officially out today! It chronicles the journey of Bob Harris, author, television writer and Kiva superlender, as he circles the globe meeting borrowers and seeing firsthand how small loans have changed their lives. We couldn't be more excited! First thing's first. If you love Kiva, this is the book for you, and you can pick a copy up here. What's really amazing -- aside from the remarkable people that... Continue Reading >


Mar 1, 2013 Kiva HQ KV
17 (more) photos that changed my world By Camille Ricketts

This is a guest post from Bob Harris, author, adventurer, Kiva super lender, and captain of the incredible Friends of Bob Harris lending team. This is the second in a series of posts from Bob chronicling his travels around the world meeting Kiva borrowers. Read his last piece about traveling on a budget, and start getting excited about the release of his new book The International Bank of Bob, available starting March 5. In the various travels that led to the book, I was lucky enough to bring a camera to more than 20... Continue Reading >


Mar 1, 2013 Kiva HQ KV
Week in Review: Happy Women's History Month! By Emily Wakefield

International Women’s Day is coming up on March 8 -- but we're celebrating all month long with Women's History Month, and talking about all the ways microfinance helps women make a difference in their lives, families and communities. A Kiva loan helped 12 women in the Annapurna Baba Nilakantheswar Shg Group in India increase their sugarcane production. One of Kiva's main priorities it to give women access to the tools they need to succeed. While they may not be celebrated in history books like Mother Teresa, Susan B. Anthony, or Rosa Parks, they... Continue Reading >


Feb 28, 2013 Kiva HQ KV
Catalytic Loans: How Kiva is pushing boundaries to make loans do more By Michelle Kreger

When we think about impact at Kiva, the first thing that comes to mind is the effect loans have on borrowers’ lives. From a shopkeeper in Rwanda paying back her loan successfully to a farmer in Nicaragua putting his kids through school, it’s clear that Kiva loans are changing lives each and every day. Of course none of this would be possible without our 170+ field partners around the world. So when it comes to reaching even more borrowers with the right loans and services, we also need to enable change at the partner level. How do we plan to do this? First and foremost, we want... Continue Reading >


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