Kiva is a project of the online Rotary E-Club Serving Humanity. The club falls under District 9705 even though it has members from different locations and backgrounds.
When the club was formed in 2016, all members believed it would benefit them to build a relationship together assisting less fortunate people in countries other than where they lived and worked.
Kiva is an international non-profit organisation founded in 2005 in San Francisco, with a mission to expand financial access to help underserved communities thrive. Kiva seeks to assist the more than 1.7 billion people around the world who do not have access to banks and cannot access financial services.
Kiva helps by crowd funding loans and unlocking capital for the underserved, improving the quality and cost of financial services, and addressing the underlying barriers to financial access around the world.
Through Kiva’s work, students can pay for tuition, women can start businesses, farmers are able to invest in equipment, and families can afford emergency care.
Across the globe, US$1.99 billion in loans has been funded through Kiva to 4.9 million borrowers in 80 countries.
By lending as little as $25 via Kiva, members are part of the solution and make a real difference in someone’s life. And 100 per cent of every dollar lent goes to funding loans.
In total, the e-club has lent US$945 in 38 separate loans, each of $25, to recipients in 20 different countries. For example, Juanita from the Philippines received a loan to build a sanitary toilet for her family. She is aware that by using the sanitary toilet, she is reducing health and hazard risks to her family and neighbours as well as promoting environmental protection.
For more information about Kiva, visit www.kiva.org