Small Business Loans – Helping People Help Themselves

I want to let you all know about a cool non-profit that is doing great things: Kiva.

Kiva allows individuals to make $25 loans to low-income entrepreneurs in the developing world (microfinance). By doing so, individuals like you provide affordable working capital for the poor (money to buy a sewing machine, livestock, etc.), empowering them to earn their way out of poverty.

It’s a new, direct and sustainable way to fight global poverty, and the way I see it, you get a higher return on $25 helping someone build a future than the interest a checking account pays.

Please check out the site: http://kiva.org. If you need more “reputable” validation than my recommendation, know that they have received great press in publications ranging from The Wall Street Journal to NPR to BusinessWeek.

And unlike most charities where your money goes into a big pool and you never know who you’re really helping (or even how much of your money is really going to the people who need it), Kiva allows you to make loans to specific people or small groups, with the ability to match your giving goals and personal preferences to small businesses which just need a little helping hand to get going. The site gives you profiles of the people asking for loans, including what they plan to use the money for. You can help as many or as few as you feel willing.

If you’ve been looking for a way to give that’s just a bit more personal and which helps people help themselves, consider making a small business loan to someone listed on Kiva.

For more info on microfinance and how it affects the world around us, check out the books below:

Technorati Tags: Charity, Microfinance, Small Business Loans