Micro-lending through Kiva.org

If you haven't heard of the non-profit Kiva, you must visit Kiva's website because what they are doing is truly innovative. The concept of microlending (loaning small amounts of money to the working poor) is certainly not new, and even gained a lot of widespread exposure when the Grameen Bank was awarded the Nobel Prize a couple of years back. What Kiva.org does, is use the power of the internet to connect lenders with global entrepreneurs. The loan amounts are small (currently capped at $25) and repayment is fast (typically a few months), but make a huge difference in empowering entrepreneurs to lift themselves out of poverty. Lenders can choose who to lend to based on entrepreneurs' stories. We just loaned to Francisca of Mozambique to help her build her used clothing business.