My year of Kiva

Today I made my twelfth loan for  2011 to the micro-finance group Kiva. I had already made a few loans to Kiva and my 2011 New Years Resolution was to make one loan a month for the whole year.

With Kiva you can lend as little as $25, (we spend that on a take away dinner!) And you get total choice of who you decide to lend to. There are categories if you want to pick that way: for example health or agriculture, you can choose by country, gender or just look through and see who takes your eye. (My choices are strongly biased to Mongolia which is as close I can get to Tibet with Kiva.)

There is a small admin cost added to your $25, but what I have found is that as the loans are repaid, the money starts to re-ciruculate quite quickly, so I am already simply re-lending.

You are free to take your money and run when it is re-paid, but why would you?

I have loved my year of Kiva, it has made me feel rich rich rich to be able to sit down every month and help someone who could do with it. This has made me even more grateful for my own life, the things in it that make my life so good, and the ability to share some of that around.

I will keep going with Kiva of course, but next years random act of helping project is going to be a different one, will share that in the New Year. But I encourage you all to go and have a look at Kiva, it's not much money to help. 

• Munhtsetseg is 33 years old and lives with her husband and son in a house in Sansar area, Ulaanbaatar, the capital city of Mongolia. She manages a shoemaking business with the help of her husband.
  Munhtsetseg started her business in 2009. In Mongolia shoe making is still a traditionally handi-crafted profession. She produces a range of footwear items, including shoes, boots, sandals, clogs and moccasins. She is planning to expand her business and to employ more workers in the future. Munhtsetseg is vivacious person who says, "I am planning to expand my business and want to have my own factory in the future."

• Amarzaya Z. is 32 years old and lives with his wife and three children in Hovd province of Mongolia. He and his family live together in a ger, a traditional Mongolian nomadic tent. Byamba’s wife stays home while the older two daughters attend a local secondary school. He used to work as a herder in the countryside with 180 livestock.
  At first, he started his business in 2006 by operating a raw materials trading business. Since 2008, Amarzaya has been operating a car repair business in his town. Now, he plans to run a taxi service using his car. In the future, he hopes to buy his own house and therefore he plans to start saving money from now on.

• Munhuu O. is 40 years old and lives with his wife in Uvs province, Western Mongolia in a ger, a traditional Mongolian nomadic home tent.
  Munhuu operates a meat trading business out of a stall at the local market in his town, helped by his wife. He travels to the countryside to purchase and transport livestock. He sells the meat at the local market at both wholesale and retail. He started his business in 1998 and has since built a stable operation. After many years in business he has gained a great deal of experience in his trade.
  In the future he plans to supply his products to Ulaanbaatar, the capital city of Mongolia. His earnings have enabled him to improve his home by purchasing furniture to replace that which was burned in 2008. Munhuu hopes to expand his meat trading business in the future.

• Mrs Veronica, age 48, lives in the Pulvozan region of the San Pedro de Lovago municipality. She is a single mother of two children who help her with the farm work and the care of two brothers who have mental health problems. She is a hard-working and active woman. She has her own property which she obtained with much sacrifice and dedication. Her greatest source of income is organizing, and she also does agricultural work such as sowing tubers that she produces both for her consumption and to sell for income. She is requesting her first loan for the care of her calving cows, and to purchase two more to produce more milk. This way, she will increase her income. Her greatest desire is for her family to have good health and to have food to eat every day.

• Dorjrenchin, 28, is married and lives with his wife and two daughters in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia.They live in a ger, a Mongolian nomadic housing tent, in another person's backyard. They currently have a below average standard of living.
  Dorjrenchin began delivering petrol in 2009. He was renting his sister's truck to deliver petrol, but purchased it from her last year. He buys large amounts of petrol at a wholesale price and sells it for a higher price. His business is new to the local market and his customers are happy to get this service as it makes their job easier. His business is becoming more stable.
  Dorjrenchin is a hardworking, polite and caring person who says, " I work hard in order to take care of my children and wife and support their needs".

• Amgalanbaatar is 24 years old and lives with his wife and daughter in a ger, a Mongolian yurt, in Govi-Altai province, Mongolia. His wife is a dancer who is taking care of their daughter.
  He manages a meat and dairy product trading business in his town. He started his business in the beginning of 2010. Before his business operation he used to help with his parent's business. Therefore he gained much experience and is skilled in accounting.
  Now he is planning to have one more stall in order to increase his sales channel. He is a friendly man who says, "I am planning to expand my business in the future. "

• Gerlee is 42 years old and lives with her husband and son in a ger (Mongolian yurt) in Uvs province of Mongolia. Her husband is a driver who operates his own taxi service business. She manages a shoe-making business in her town with the help of her younger sister. Gerlee started her business in 2005. Her products are well-appraised by her customers. Now she has many regular customers who order several shoes at a time. With her earnings she has been able to buy a car, some furniture and appliances for her family. She is an open-minded woman who says, "One must be a good person."

• Regzen is 32 years old and lives with his wife and children in a house in the Hovd province of Mongolia. His wife helps him to manage the family business as a shopkeeper. He started his business in 2005 by selling foods and other products, and subsequently gained five years of work and business experience. Then in 2010, he opened a grocery store. He is planning to expand his business in the future. He is a family oriented and diligent man who says: "I want to expand my business and bring in products from Ulaanbaatar city."

• Mỹ Lệ is a 23-year-old female living in the town of Yen Phong district - Bac Ninh province. Mỹ Lệ is the group leader of a four member group loan offered by SEDA. While each member of the group receives an individual loan, they all are responsible for paying back the loans of their fellow group members if someone is delinquent or defaults. The official name of this borrowing group is Cụm Đông nhóm 03.
  Mỹ Lệ is married and has one infant. To making a living, Mỹ Lệ owns and operates a business venture in the agriculture sector raising livestock. While not the only means of generating revenue, the main source of income for the business comes primarily from raising pigs for sale. Mỹ Lệ has been engaged in this business for over five years.

• Amarjargal is 47 years old and lives with her two sons in her apartment in Baganur district of Ulaanbaatar, the capital city of Mongolia. Her husband died five years ago. Her elder son has just graduated from college and her younger son goes to college. She started her business in 2004 by renting a small workshop to run her tailoring business. She is certified and has got excellent skills. She is well-known for her skill in the neighborhood. She is a strong and diligent woman who says, "I have a vision to expand my business and increase my income."

• Mr. Urankhuu, 20, is a miner who works a mine located far from Ulaanbaatar, the capital city of Mongolia. For 2 years he has been working as a miner there. He lives with his family in an old house which is located in the slum district. His house becomes very cold and frosted during the winter because it does not have any insulation in its walls. Therefore, he decided to make the insulation and install a new electric furnace. The loan will be dedicated to purchasing some building materials to make the wall insulation and to purchasing the new furnace.

• Nadmidsuren is 44 years old and lives with her husband and two kids in a ger (a Mongolian yurt) in Uvurhangai province, Mongolia. Her husband is a taxi driver and her two kids are college students.
  She started her garment retailing business in 2003 by renting a counter in a market. Her business is stable and has many regular customers. Now that winter is approaching, she needs more warmer clothes to sell.
  She is a strong and hardworking woman who says, "Now that my kids joined a college, it is hard to pay fees; however, my husband and I will do everything [we] can to support them."