Loaning through Kiva...

I recently loaned several hundred dollars to a friend, never really thinking she’d pay me back within the time period she had promised. In fact, I wasn’t even sure she’d pay me back at all. Much to my surprise, she did, and I was forced to reexamine my faith in people. I realized that, over the years, my expectations of the human race had plummeted. I dug within my heart and head to understand why this could be so, and I just couldn’t unearth an explanation. All I knew was that my belief system had been challenged and I was forever changed from this simple transaction. So changed, in fact, that I started looking for ways to lend other people money. Now, I am not rich by any stretch of the imagination, but the joy I felt in helping my friend was overwhelming. I remembered back to when I was in her shoes. Just out of college, struggling to make ends meet, lots of talent to go somewhere, but not enough rank to be paid justly. I knew that several hundred dollars would have made a world of difference to me at that time, by easing anxiety that robbed my life of joy and vigor. I suddenly wanted to help anyone I could by offering this small service. This is how I found Kiva. I had heard about microfinancing before, but was never quite ready to take the plunge…mainly because I feared the risk too much. But this time, with my new-found faith in people, I didn’t fear the risk. Or at least, the risk did not overshadow the joy I felt in giving. So, I found a couple female business women on the Kiva site who I thought had great ideas and huge amounts of self-respect – despite their unfathomable poverty -  and I gave a little to each. I’m excited to see how each venture turns out. I want these women to succeed, and part of that success involves taking responsibility for their debt. I truly believe in these women, even though I’ve never met them, and that trust feels even better than loaning the money. ~ Samara Iodice