Kiva is a Micro Loans Programme lending to small family-owned or community businesses in the developing world and even the USA. Loans are syndicated, so your exposure to default and delinquency is very much reduced.
I set up Kiva Club, an OurLocality’s Lending Team back in 2010 and managed to get ONLY ONE OTHER PERSON TO JOIN to join.
What do they say about the path to good intentions? Anyway when you join Kiva you can join one or more lending teams or just lend as an individual.
Loans are not donations, so you do get your money back – but without interest – to keep or to lend again.
Kiva operates through donations and charges it makes to the financial institutions on the ground that partner with them.
The stats after 14 years are interesting, as I have managed to cover the whole world with small loans.
I have tended to loan to women, as we know what men do with money in the hands, don’t we.
The tally is looking a bit sad today, with a rather high delinquency rate on the outstanding loans, probably pandemic related, but also through some poor choices (I should know to stay away from the arts).
