Please Join KIVA's NPN "lending Team"

Discussions
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Let’s give back! Every one of us is better off than 99% of the rest of the world.

Many of us travel far to third-world countries for spectacular images, but may not give much thought to the disenfranchised people who live there and often work for a pittance at the places we stay, thankful to have any income at all but still living at bare subsistence levels.

I’d like to start a KIVA group called “ Nature Photographers for World Aid” to give back to these people. If you don’t know about KIVA – please check this out: http://www.kiva.org/ @David_Kingham is onboard with this.

I’ve been active in KIVA for more than 15 years, and have started several different groups whose loans have changed people’s lives.

KIVA gives loans to people trying to improve their lives (NOT gifts). The people are expected to pay the loan back, and they do, sometimes 25 cents a month. The re-payments go back to the lending account of the person giving the loan, to be re-loaned again and again. You can give a NEW loan any time you wish, and can choose the type of loan you wish – for medical care, for building latrines or re-roofing a shack, to people trying to start a new business, to women, to men, to single parents, to almost ANY county including the US. (Use the filters to select a loan/person that interests you) The minimum loan is $25.00 and your loan will be combined with others, and documented.

On the KIVA site, you will see pictures of the people, what they are requesting, and their story. You can choose whomever touches you.

Here is an example of the website they will create for our group, to show loans, # of people who have joined, etc: https://www.kiva.org/portfolio

Here is the link to join, if you’d like to participate:

Thanks to all -

Sandy R-B

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Wow, this is great, Sandy! Thanks for sharing this! I was unaware of Kiva but am certainly interested now. I will definitely check this out.

Bill

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Wow, you guys are terrific!

In just the first hour, 10 people have joined and have given 11 loans.

We will make a difference!

Sandy

1 Like
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Report for the first 24 hours:

10 new NPN members, 18 loans given.

KIVA is one of the few places that gives 100% of the funds it receives directly to the people in need.
Thank you, everyone.

Sandy

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I’ll share a personal Kiva story.

I’ve been involved in KIVA for 15 years, and have started 3 other groups. I’m glad David K. thought this was a good idea for NPN.

When my husband and I were in Africa in 2014, we talked for awhile with one of the nicely-uniformed servers at the lodge where we stayed. Later that evening, we saw the lady walking home, barefoot, and in ragged clothes.
We gave her a ride the 12 miles to her sad, thatched shack in a small village. The last 2 miles to her “home” was a 2-mile path of brambles and dried grass, and we saw 3 lions not far away. She carried a 5-gallon jerry can of water home every day for the village people.

We learned more about her:
9 kids, no resident father, the 13 yr old was responsible for watching the other 8 kids while mom worked/walked 15 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The “village” was 8 poor thatched shacks with holes in their roofs, electricity, no running water, only an outhouse which was little more than a hole in the ground.

We got her some shoes, kid’s clothes, 2 more jerry cans, and a big old red wagon to roll the 3 water cans.

Then we signed the village up with KIVA to get loans for a real outhouse, some solar panels to run basic lights and a radio , big metal sheets to become roofs, and a tall fence around the village (remember the lions). Later, we sent her (through the lodge) a big box of various clothes and shoes for the village.

So little we gave, but it really made a difference.

KIVA makes a difference.
Please consider joining our NPN “lending team”.

Sandy

1 Like
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Great idea. I’ve heard of this organization, but never contributed until now. Thanks for the nudge.

Jacob

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Sandy
Glad you posted this. Super idea.

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Now, on Saturday, 12 NPN members have joined, 21 different loans have been given,
and ** 9 ** loans have been fully funded with the addition of the NPN loans.
:heart:

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Here is the KIVA website for our NPN group, showing those who have joined (first name only), loans given, profiles of the people helped, etc.

https://www.kiva.org/team/nature_photographers_network_for_world_aid