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Apr 4, 2018 SB Solomon Islands
By Ahmed Syed
A Solomon story: Determination in the face of adversity

Today I bring you a story of perseverance from the remote valleys of northern Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. It was the morning after a night of heavy showers, and I made my way to meet Eddry, a client of South Pacific Business Development (SPBD), a Solomon Islands-based microfinance organization. Along the journey, the road quickly turned from gravel, to dirt to wet mud and it wasn’t long before the staff 4x4 was unable to go any further and Vanessa, an SPBD staff member and my reliable guide, stopped the car in what seemed a location with no close proximity to any form of... Continue Reading >>


Mar 22, 2018 GO Global Update
By Kerry Frank
Refugees and finance: Out of sight, out of mind?

On June 20, 2016, Kiva launched the World Refugee Fund, which matches donations to refugees on World Refugee Day dollar-for-dollar. Traditional forms of finance are often out of reach for refugees, and as such supporting loans for this population is vital. Even so, a host of logistical, regulatory and psychological factors stand in the way of banks and small-scale institutions attempting to accommodate refugees with appropriate financial products. In Jordan, Microfund for Women (MFW) has...

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Feb 26, 2018 PH Philippines, TL Timor-Leste
By Yaris Ng Pang
Every day is an adventure when you always say 'Yes'

As I get ready to start a new chapter in Nairobi, Kenya with the Kiva Labs team, I can’t help but reminisce on the last 6 months abroad as a Kiva Fellow in the Philippines and Timor-Leste. Although it was not always easy to be on my own, I’ve grown so much as a person because of all the “Yeses” I reluctantly agreed to. 'Treat every day as an adventure,' was the phrase I reminded myself every time I felt lonely, or was stuck in unexpected and uncomfortable situations. One blog is definitely not enough to share all the great adventures I experienced, but hopefully the 3 lessons below can...

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Feb 20, 2018 TZ Tanzania
By Lana Yarkin
The Mayor of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Mambo from Dar es Salaam! Full disclosure: This post is not about the actual mayor of Dar es Salaam, but rather a Kiva borrower named Samweli whom I had the pleasure of meeting, and the story behind his nickname, the “Mayor of Dar es Salaam.” I’m here working with the Kiva field partner Tujijenge. Last week, I double-checked that I had all of my notes, pens and everything else I needed for the day, and I went out into the field for my second borrower verification. I set off with Maria, the wonderful Kiva Coordinator at Tujijenge, to board a sweltering bus towards...

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Feb 15, 2018 AL Albania
By Jessica Sun
Albania: A travel love story

Albania has a gigantic, generous heart, and I found it last weekend in the country’s beautiful north. I was invited by Ester, a co-worker from Agro & Social Fund (the Field Partner I currently work with), to spend the weekend with her at home. “Home,” it turned out, was a small village called Klos outside of Burrel that could be reached from Tirana only after winding through mountainous terrain on some of the bumpiest roads I’ve ever encountered. There were no lights for long stretches, which made for incredible stargazing, but dangerous driving conditions. Luckily, Ester’s fiancé,...

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Jan 18, 2018 SL Sierra Leone
By Victor Prevot
Meet Ola Smart, CEO of Mountain Lion Ag in Sierra Leone

When I first landed in Freetown International Airport, I had the honor of being welcomed by Mr. Donald Ola Smart, who's position at Mountain Lion Agriculture (MLA) I was not sure of at that time. However, while we were driving back to Makeni, the capital of the northern province and where MLA's headquarters are, he talked at length about Sierra Leone’s past history and his commitment to the reintegration into society of the civil war’s ex-combatants (a deadly conflict that Sierra Leone suffered from 1991 to 2001). I also soon grasped that he is actually the CEO of MLA...

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Jan 16, 2018 AM Armenia
By Jessica Sun
Expanding social impact in Armenia

Normally, when I go on borrower verification visits I am accompanied by someone from the Field Partner office, both to serve as a translator and (I suspect) to ensure I don’t get lost forever somewhere out there. This story began with an unchaperoned borrower verification trip and ended up with a deep dive into the exciting social enterprise scene in Armenia. The last client I had to visit from my borrower verification list for Nor Horizon, one of the Armenian Field Partners I am working with, was also the client located farthest away in Kapan, a city approximately 7 hours south of...

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Jan 9, 2018 NG Nigeria
By Arushi Bajaj
An (a)maize-ing tale: Nigeria’s new farming revolution

Growing up in Lagos as an Indian immigrant for nearly 15 years, I thought I had seen it all. From the traffic (affectionately known as go-slow), to the haggling with local vegetable sellers and prolonged power outages, there is a controlled chaos that binds together the residents of the world’s sixth largest city.

Lagos Lagoon

Agriculture is a key component of the Nigerian economy, making up 24% of its total GDP. However, the agricultural sector has not kept up with rapid population growth, and...

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Jan 4, 2018 GH Ghana
By Victor Prevot
Kiva, the missing piece of a puzzle to boost rice farmers

In a recent report from the Oxford Business School, it was estimated that 66% of Ghana’s rice consumption was supported by imports. This figure might sound almost absurd when one considers the availability and fertility of soil suitable for rice crops or the dedication to hard work of Ghanaian farmers. Part of the endeavour to restore better levels of local rice production - the government-driven irrigation project in the Volta region (East Ghana) - started around 4 years ago on an area extending over more than 5,000 hectares. With a willingness to provide land to a maximum number of...

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Jan 2, 2018 NI Nicaragua
By Marina Iodice
Lessons of life from the women of rural Nicaragua

During my fellowship in Nicaragua I have come across some incredible borrowers, and their stories have touched me profoundly. I already knew this was going to happen, and it was one of the reasons why I wanted to become a Kiva fellow. What I did not know, however, was that these borrowers – and especially the women borrowers I met – would teach me some invaluable life lessons that I will take back to Europe with me.

A field of onions in Jinotega, Nicaragua

Here I want to share...

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Kiva Fellows are volunteers who maximize Kiva's impact around the world. By working closely with our Field Partners in over 50 countries, they make sure loan dollars go where they're needed most -- while having a few adventures along the way. Learn more >>

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Source URL: https://pages.kiva.org/fellowsblog/2013/05/12/happy-mothers-day-from-around-the-world