Kiva and The MasterCard Foundation are kicking off a 5-year, $7.9 million partnership to test, develop and scale high-impact loans serving the unique needs of smallholder farmers and rural populations in sub-Saharan Africa.
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A loan of $575 helped Sunaphula purchase two cows for her dairy farm. Thanks to lenders like you, it's been possible for Sunaphula to earn a living by selling the milk produced by the cows. 

Food brings us together as a human family across all cultures – and most of the world’s food still comes from small-scale farms and other small businesses. 

Thanks for...

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The Kiva community is happy to welcome some amazing new partners this month who all share a common mission with Kiva: to empower people with opportunities to create better lives for themselves. Whether it’s giving farmers in Peru access to resources and markets, training farmers in Mozambique to increase productivity, or connecting entrepreneurs with the tools they need to tackle some of the world’s... Continue Reading >>

At just 23 years old, Chloe is the founder and CEO of BlackFem, a non-profit venture capital firm that teaches financial literacy to women and girls of color in under-served communities. Her philosophy regarding wealth in America might surprise you, and it’s now the title of a new children’s book she co-wrote: ‘Money Does Grow on Trees.’

She uses the book to teach financial literacy to young students,...

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This is part of our series celebrating the unifying spirit of the Summer Games. Cambodia is one of 28 Kiva countries that have never won a medal, so we’re rallying to show our support ...

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Our partners are located all over the world, working to create change in the communities where they’re based. Whether it’s helping social businesses get a leg up to solve social and environmental problems, providing solar power to small rural communities in Nepal, or bringing vision to those in need wherever they may be, the work done by our partners is having a positive and unique... Continue Reading >>

On summer days, the temperature in Al Hudaydah, Yemen often reaches 100 degrees by 9 in the morning, with barely a hint of a breeze coming off the bathwater-like Red Sea nearby. The scorching heat in this coastal city, and in much of the country, is all the more unbearable for the majority of Yemeni families who have to make do without electricity to power fans, lights or other essential devices.

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Katrina and Keely first met in the summer of 2013 while working on open space greening projects in Brooklyn, N.Y., and bonded instantly over urban farming and pop culture. After many discussions on the frustrations of finding financially sustainable jobs in urban agriculture, they decided the best solution was to start a project for themselves.

In 2015, the two joined forces to start Tinyfield Roofhop Farm on a small rooftop in Brooklyn, with the Manhattan skyline in the distance. Their goal was to provide high quality, hyper-local produce to consumers, restaurants, and... Continue Reading >>

This is the final story in our series spotlighting U.S. businesses in celebration of Independence Day.

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The direct to social enterprise program is a pilot program that aims to raise capital for social enterprises in a new and more efficient way. Social enterprises have the potential to strengthen their communities and reduce poverty by expanding formal employment, scaling innovative social solutions and driving sustainable economic growth. However, they often fall in the “missing middle,” meaning they are too small for traditional banks, but too big for microfinance.

In the past, Kiva has used 2 different models to support small social enterprises:... Continue Reading >>

I’ve only seen the film Hotel Rwanda twice.

The first time, I was alone on my parents’ couch in small-town Oklahoma. I tend to want to be emotionally prepared for heavy films with difficult subject matter, but when do you ever feel prepared enough to bear witness to such a magnitude of senseless violence and tragedy as what happened in Rwanda?

The answer is never, so I finally just took a deep breath and hit play.... Continue Reading >>

Jembere. In Amharic — the native language of Ethiopia — it means, “my sunset.” When Abaynesh, a designer in New York, fulfilled her dream of creating her own eyewear brand, she named it Jembere in honor of her roots.

Her collections are now sold by vendors from New York to Chicago, but the inspiration for her designs remains rooted in her early life and East Africa.

Abaynesh was born in a Sudanese refugee camp to Ethiopian parents. Her father, part of the medical staff...

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