Water is at the root of everything. Our environment, socio-economic development, poverty reduction, and the fulfillment of the most basic human needs all depend on it.

Yet in 2013, about one-ninth of our world’s population -- 780 million people -- lack access to clean water. And about 3.4 million of these people die annually as a result.



So ten years ago today, the United Nations General Assembly declared March 22 as World Water Day -- a day for the whole world to focus attention on the importance of clean, accessible water.

Each year... Continue Reading >>

Early in the morning on Sunday, January 27, the main market in Bujumbura, the capital of Burundi, caught fire -- bringing the city and the country's economy to a standstill. The blaze grew into a massive inferno, consuming the entire city.

By the time the fire subsided in the evening, the vast covered market and economic heart of Burundi was reduced to rubble. An estimated 10 people died attempting to retrieve merchandise from the stalls, and thousands of vendors and merchants lost everything they owned: property, goods, and livelihoods that had taken years to build in a... Continue Reading >>

Here at Kiva, we were honored and thrilled last week to have President Bill Clinton launch our newest Kiva City program in Little Rock, Arkansas!

Hundreds gathered at William J. Clinton Presidential Center and Park to celebrate the launch of Kiva City Little Rock -- including many of the small business owners raising loans on Kiva! 

Partnering with Visa and microfinance organization Accion Texas, Kiva is now offering $25 loans in the Little Rock Area -- giving lenders everywhere the chance to empower a small business and help create employment in a state where... Continue Reading >>

That's right. Kiva has officially reached 1 MILLION borrowers with loans around the world!

WAHOO! HOORAY! WAY TO GO! BOOM. [INSERT CELEBRATORY EXCLAMATION HERE!]

Here's the thing: it's really YOU that's reached 1 million borrowers -- our lenders are truly the ones who made this inspiring, magical, stupendous achievement happen! You found the loans, you funded them, you touched and changed lives in fundamental ways. Your collective impact has set off a massive ripple effect of change across the world. And we can't... Continue Reading >>

Decades of intermittent unrest and reconstruction have left Lebanon's economy deep in debt and relatively unstable. We're proud that Kiva's presence in the country has helped -- even in just small ways -- to rebuild the economy via small business growth. 

To date, Kiva lenders have made nearly 7,500 loans totaling over $9.5 million in Lebanon via two local microfinance partners.

The Al Majmoua Lebanese Association for Development is the leading microfinance institution in Lebanon in terms of the number of clients it serves. One reason that it was... Continue Reading >>

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... Continue Reading >>

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... Continue Reading >>

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... Continue Reading >>

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... Continue Reading >>

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?

... Continue Reading >>

We’re thrilled to announce our new partnership with FUNDECOCA!

Based in Costa Rica, this nonprofit organization offers microlending services to unbanked farmers to expand their crops and supply the region with organic, fresh and healthy produce.

FUNDECOCA is unique among microfinance organizations in northern Costa Rica. Why? It works to form and fund Community Credit Committees (CCCs) that coordinate the organization’s entire lending program. Basically, this allows people who live in these extremely rural communities to decide and have a... Continue Reading >>

"I think Kiva is doing a great job keeping in touch with the volunteers, given how remote and all over the world we are. They still manage to engage us through events like the holiday marathon and the other forms of communication such as the newsletter."

City: Toronto, Canada

Languages: French, Spanish

Team: Qui Va Bien

Time with Kiva: 1 year and 2 months

Outstanding contributions to Kiva:

S. Mason... Continue Reading >>