Do you remember your first class in world geography? At some point you were probably taught that Africa is a continent, the Niles is the longest river, and that Russia is the largest country. But it’s pretty unlikely your teacher ever mentioned anything about Central Asia, and in particular Tajikistan. In fact, this tiny country (roughly the size of Wisconsin), although unique historically and culturally, remains a mystery to most of the Western world. Bordering Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan and China, Tajikistan is made up of a fragile patchwork of more than a dozen ethnic... Continue Reading >

Minor or routine surgery is a regularly available health option for many of us. But for the 1.3 billion people living on less that US$1.25 per day, there is no such thing as disposable income... Continue Reading >

We're passionate about empowering young women to reach their full potential. Last year Kiva started offering loans to girls through BRAC Uganda's Empowerment and Livelihood for Adolescents (ELA) Program. In addition to credit for older participants to become entrepreneurs, this program includes training in life skills, support groups and clubs, business development training and more. Today, more than 1,000 ELA clubs reach over 40,000 woman. So we were thrilled to spot a recent post on BRAC's blog about some of the incredible impact results from the ELA program. Full... Continue Reading >

Kiva hosted its second quarterly Insights Call last Thursday to discuss a wide range of topics from major accomplishments in 2012 to future goals of Kiva Zip. Representatives from Kiva included Matt Flannery, Co-Founder and CEO; Premal Shah, President; Michelle Kreger, Senior Director, Strategic Initiatives; and Brandon Smith, Community Marketing Coordinator. We also asked representatives from our most active lending teams to join us, so we’re thrilled that lenders from teams like Nerdfighters, Milepoint, Late Loaning Lenders and Kiva Friends were able to join us and ask questions.... Continue Reading >