As surprised as my family and friends were when I told them that I’m heading off to Kyrgyzstan, that’s about as surprised as my Kiva colleagues were when they found out that I’m also heading to Frankfurt, for a portion of my Kiva Fellowship. At first pass, Germany doesn’t seem like a country that would fit with Kiva’s non-profit microfinance orientation and mission statement. Yet, in Frankfurt, one of the world’s prominent financial centres, an innovative start-up and recent Kiva Field Partner, Yunus Social Business (“YSB”), is pushing the envelope of social business investing, globally and... Continue Reading >>
Born with an inherent love for travel and discovery, Alex was raised in Eastern Europe, grew up in the Middle East and spent the majority of his adult life studying and working in North America. An Honors Business Administration graduate from the Richard Ivey School of Business, Alex previously worked as an investment banker with a global financial institution, focusing on infrastructure and project finance. Actively involved with Kiva since 2012, Alex previously served as a Team Leader within Kiva’s Review and Translation Program and as an Advisor to Kiva’s Strategic Initiatives group. Alex spent nearly 18 months travelling and volunteering across Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Central America. An extension of both his corporate and non-profit backgrounds, Alex’ interests lay in the mix of business and social innovation, focused on the development of infrastructure in developing regions. Next, he is excited to apply this passion while undertaking his first Kiva Fellowship, working with new Kiva partners, AUCA and YSB, located in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan and Frankfurt, Germany, respectively.
Fellows Blog Posts by Alex Guna
Nov 27, 2013
Albania, Brazil, Colombia, Germany, Haiti
As surprised as my family and friends were when I told them that I’m heading off to Kyrgyzstan, that’s about as surprised as my Kiva colleagues were when they found out that I’m also heading to Frankfurt, for a portion of my Kiva Fellowship. At first pass, Germany doesn’t seem like a country that would fit with Kiva’s non-profit microfinance orientation and mission statement. Yet, in Frankfurt, one of the world’s prominent financial centres, an innovative start-up and recent Kiva Field Partner, Yunus Social Business (“YSB”), is pushing the envelope of social business investing, globally and... Continue Reading >>
As surprised as my family and friends were when I told them that I’m heading off to Kyrgyzstan, that’s about as surprised as my Kiva colleagues were when they found out that I’m also heading to Frankfurt, for a portion of my Kiva Fellowship. At first pass, Germany doesn’t seem like a country that would fit with Kiva’s non-profit microfinance orientation and mission statement. Yet, in Frankfurt, one of the world’s prominent financial centres, an innovative start-up and recent Kiva Field Partner, Yunus Social Business (“YSB”), is pushing the envelope of social business investing, globally and... Continue Reading >>
Oct 31, 2013
Kyrgyzstan
Many questions came my way when I let my family, friends and colleagues know that I am packing my bags and heading off to Kyrgyzstan for a few months. “I’m going to volunteer with Kiva in Kyrgyzstan and help the American University of Central Asia!” “Wow! Great! Wait. What’s Kiva? Where’s Kyrgyzstan? What is an American university doing in Central Asia? There are a lot of holes in your story, is everything ok? Are you in trouble with the wrong people? What have you done?!” Many good questions, to which I had no real answers… until now! The following is a photo depiction of what... Continue Reading >>
Many questions came my way when I let my family, friends and colleagues know that I am packing my bags and heading off to Kyrgyzstan for a few months. “I’m going to volunteer with Kiva in Kyrgyzstan and help the American University of Central Asia!” “Wow! Great! Wait. What’s Kiva? Where’s Kyrgyzstan? What is an American university doing in Central Asia? There are a lot of holes in your story, is everything ok? Are you in trouble with the wrong people? What have you done?!” Many good questions, to which I had no real answers… until now! The following is a photo depiction of what... Continue Reading >>