Monday, April 11, 2011

Kiva.org and Imperialist guilt

A while back, friend of mine reminded me about Kiva.org. She had been re-loaning her initial $25USD for the last year to the micro-finance site's beneficiaries. I talked about it in the past with her but nothing ever came of it.

When I started my new job this year, I suddenly found myself with a steady and liveable income coming in. I remembered our conversation and decided that twenty five dollars was half of what I spend to drink coffee a week. I logged on, picked a micro-finance beneficiary, and donated.

Kiva states very plainly on their site that there is always the risk of default on these loans. I donated and never expected it to be repaid. If it was, great! I'd re-loan without another thought. If not, there was no issue.

So far, my initial loan is almost 75% repaid. Not bad for something I expected to default within the first repayment period. I'll definitely reinvest

What is your favorite charity to which you donate either time or money?

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