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PROJECT PORTFOLIO
To view our portfolio of Kiva projects, please click on
this link. Here you will see the individual projects
we are supporting as well as a breakdown of the portfolio in terms of gender (percentage of loans to
women and men), countries and sectors.
When the borrowers make repayments, Kiva also repays us. This means that we can re-lend the money
to new borrowers. The money you donated to the 2008 Lenten campaign is therefore being put to work
not only once but on an ongoing, revolving basis.
Latest update
We are happy to report that as of December 2009, the Microfinance Group has lent a total
of $28,250 to 175 projects in 40 countries across the world. We achieved this with the €7,453
raised during the 2008 Lenten Campaign, which were converted to US$11,167. We can lend more
than we raised because as loans are repaid, we re-lend the funds. $19,538 have been repaid so
far and only one loan has defaulted to date resulting in a small loss of $72. The activities of
the entrepreneurs we have lent to include farming, livestock, tailoring, stone quarrying, mobile
phones, retail, housing and more.
LENDING GUIDELINES
- Maximum amount per project: the lower of (i) 50% of the project amount and (ii) $550.
- Maximum amounts per region:
Africa: $3,075
Asia: $3,050
Latin America:$3,050
Eastern Europe: $650
Middle East: $1,125
The lower amounts for Eastern Europe and the Middle East are due to the fact that Kiva currently has
fewer projects in these regions. Rather than leave funds idle, we preferred to re-allocate them to
other regions. We will rebalance the regional allocations if the situation changes.
- Maximum amount per country: $1,116 (10% of the portfolio).
SUCCESS STORIES
Read about entrepreneurs that have benefitted from Kiva loans:
- From Machete to Microfinance: A Double Amputee's Recovery. If you
follow this link you can read about a really moving case of a man from Sierra Leone who had both his
hands amputated but, with the help of Kiva, has been able to make a life for himself.
- Follow this link to see short
information on a whole host of successful Kiva projects.
- Grace Ayaa is a mother of 4 who lives in Kulambiro, Uganda. She lived in the Northern districts of
Kitgum before the civil war forced her to leave her home. She cares for 7 children, 3 of whom are not her
own but orphans of the civil war. Grace tried to support herself and her family making peanut butter
using a mortar and pestle. The process was so slow, and batch of produce so small, that it was very
difficult to earn enough money to cover living costs for her and her family. Grace knew she had to
change her processes for her business to be successful, so she saved enough money to purchase a
processing machine. With her new investment she was able to make much larger batches of peanut butter
more quickly than before, but she had no way of storing her peanut butter and therefore could not make
more until her current batch had sold.
Grace took a loan of $475 through Kiva.org, administered by Life in Africa, a Kiva Field Partner.
Grace intended to spend 50% of her loan to purchase a refrigerator to store the peanut butter, 25%
on packing materials and 25% as working capital for her business. Within six months Grace had employed
an additional person to help her with her business. She was also able to save enough money with her
increased profits to acquire a small piece of land, so that she could better care for her children who
were growing up quickly. Grace has become an example in her community of a successful woman, despite the
difficulties she has faced. Grace is no longer forced to decide which children she can send to school
each semester as she can afford to send them all, and she is now building a home for her family on the
land she was able to purchase.
WHAT IS MICROFINANCE?
During the Lenten campaign of 2008 two newsletters were published to explain the principles of
microfinance. You can download them here:
Flyer Number 1
Flyer Number 2
There are many sources of information on the subject. Here are some links you may find
interesting.
Organisations based in The Netherlands
CORDAID - Their Lenten Campaign this year is for
microfinance in Ghana.
Oikocredit - A large financier of the microfinance
sector.
HIVOS - Poverty reduction through economic
independence. Its microfinance fund is managed by Triodos
Bank
Oxfam-Novib has outsourced its lending for microfinance
to Triple Jump
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