Fiona Ramsey

Kiva Blog Updates

May 26, 2009
Matt Flannery will join Mads Kjaer, Co-Founder and CEO of MYC4, at Silicon Valley Microfinance Network's Speaker Event this evening in San Francisco. Matt and Mads will discuss the hurdles their online peer-to-peer lending platforms have faced as the two young companies have developed over the last few years. The trail-blazing organizations have forced regulators, investors, philanthropists, borrowers, and others to ask new questions as we all form and find the answers together.

Come hear from Matt Flannery and Mads Kjaer, ask them questions, and meet others interested in... Continue Reading >>
May 5, 2009
Phun Them is a silk weaver in Cambodia, who is currently repaying a $400 loan to purchase silk. Recently, she was shown the the business page for her loan and the lender profiles for the lenders who contributed to her loan. Watch the video below!!



This video was created by Advanta's Kiva B4B program. The Kiva B4B program matches loans made to... Continue Reading >>
May 1, 2009
It's official - April was the third record breaking month on Kiva in a row!

From 1 - 30 April, Kiva Lenders loaned $4,487,875 to entrepreneurs around the world.

That's $149,596 every day.
Or $103.89 EVERY MINUTE.
That's the most loaned on Kiva in one month ever.

Now that would be exciting enough in itself, but consider that this is the third month in a row that we've had the "biggest month... Continue Reading >>
Apr 27, 2009
Hey Kiva Supporters - we made a mistake when we said that Brad Pitt Twittered about Kiva a few days ago. We were notified today that the Twitter account named “TheRealBradPitt” is not in fact owned by Brad Pitt, the actor. The fake Brad Pitt profile has now been taken down by Twitter. I guess a lot of people were fooled (the profile had tens of thousands of followers), but I feel pretty embarrassed because I thought I had an eye for this kind of thing.

Anyways, what this means is that Brad Pitt, the actor, did not Twitter about Kiva. But he, through a direct representative, has... Continue Reading >>
Apr 23, 2009
Matt Flannery will be speaking at The Commonwealth Club in San Francisco next week, for a lunch session on Cutting-Edge Innovators. Also speaking will be Mark Dwight, Founder and CEO, Rickshaw Bagworks.

Triumphing in the face of economic adversity, Dwight and Flannery have emerged as leaders in socially responsible entrepreneurship. Retail manufacturer Dwight was named a turnaround expert by Fast Company magazine. Flannery's web-based Kiva is one of the largest peer-to-peer global lending organizations in the world. Hear how each harnessed the power of innovation to build consumer... Continue Reading >>
Apr 23, 2009



Audrey Scott and Daniel Noll of Uncornered Market have been traveling the world since December 2006 and are making the way through Latin America.

Supporters of Kiva, they have been working with some of Kiva's Field Partners to collect stories of some of the entrepreneurs on Kiva's website, through photography. The results are beautiful, and it is always so exciting to get a further glimpse into the lives of Kiva entrepreneurs.

Check out some of the pictures of their Kiva visits on their website here.

Thanks to Audrey and Daniel for their... Continue Reading >>
Apr 20, 2009
Over the weekend, the White House announced a new $100 million microfinance growth fund for the western hemisphere:

The global credit crisis is having a significant and harmful impact on the availability of finance for micro and small businesses that provide a majority of the jobs in the Hemisphere. This is one of the factors jeopardizing recent hard won gains in reducing poverty. While the region has a wealth of microfinance institutions, these lenders are now confronting a serious shortage of private finance from both international and local sources. As the supply of lending... Continue Reading >>
Apr 7, 2009
Turns out a florist shop in Uganda is much like florist shops you're used to - and may even bring you back to your high school dances!

Kiva Fellow Stephanie Koczela visited Florence Musola, a member of the Balikyewunya Group at her florist shop in Kampala, Uganda.

Check out a video of Florence and her shop below, and read Stephanie's blog about the visit here.



Continue Reading >>
Apr 7, 2009


Kiva Fellow Stephanie Koczela is on the ground in Uganda, working with Kiva's Field Partner Pearl Microfinance.

So, what does it really take to get your $25 to an entrepreneur in rural Africa? Stephanie shows us the obstacles that are overcome in the field to get small loans to those that need them the most.

Read Stephanie's full blog post here, and check out the video to see Uganda from the back of a motorbike!



Continue Reading >>
Apr 6, 2009
Kiva Fellow Kieran Ball has yet again brought us an amazing video sharing his experiences on the ground working with Kiva's Field Partners.

Right now Kieran is with one of Kiva's newest partners, TLM, in West Timor. TLM is an abbreviation for Tanaoba Lais Manekat, which translates to "Serve With Love".

Meet the TLM crew and learn about the only cashless loan on Kiva - the cow fattening loan - in Kieran's video below.





To learn more about Kieran's perspective on the ground with TLM, read his blog... Continue Reading >>

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