#worthknowing
By Evan C.
Author: wferriter@hotmail.com
Chikhulupiliro Group-Malawi
This is a time of year in which we don’t think about the positions that other less fortunate people are in. In the midst of the Super Bowl while we lounge back on nice couches in nice houses watching the Super Bowl on our fancy flat screen TVs, people like the Chikhlupiliro Group of Malawi are struggling to afford second hand clothing in a country where the average income is only $900 each year! Compare that to the average income in the United States which is $52,800.
We also have never before made a loan to Malawi, one of the many reasons we loaned to this group. Another reason we have made a loan to this group, is that they have a short repayment term of only 6 months. Which for us means we can get back to helping people sooner. We made the last donation, so they are now fully funded.
You can see them here.
By: Nicolas H.
Edited By: Sydney P. and Lili E.
Upendo Gataro Women Group of Kenya
Today I loaned to a group of four women in Kenya, a country in which the average income is only one thousand eight hundred dollars a year.
I donated to this group because the main woman wants to expand her small farm by buying seeds and fertilizers. She hopes to then use the money she makes off of selling her produce to pay for her nine children school expenses.
Ahmed of the Boodihari Group – Somalia
We just made a loan to Ahmed of the Boodihari Group.
The main reason we donated to Ahmed was that he needed the money to expand his fishery shop (his only source of income). He also has a wife and 9 sons that he can barely feed. The Boodihari Group consists of 12 members (6 men and 6 women).
The other reasons we donated to the Boodihari Group is because in Somalia — the third poorest country in the world — the average annual income is only $600 dollars. As a comparison the US has an average of $53,000 dollars a year. Another reason why we donated to this group is because no one in the SMS Kiva Club has ever donated to anyone in Somalia. Finally, we donated to the Boodihari group because their field partner had never failed to repay all the money that people had donated.
#helpingSomalia
By Brendan, Charlie and Nicholas
M. Ashraf – from Pakistan
I made a loan to a man named M. Ashraf today.
He lives in Pakistan and he runs a store that sells crockery and utensils to people. One of the interesting things that I learned about the loan is that the wedding season is his busiest season because women often buy crockery to put in the dowry that they give to their husbands when they get married.
Here’s his picture:
I chose to support him for a few different reasons. The most important reason is that he is a father who is trying to support five children. As a father myself, I know how stressful it can be to try to find enough money to give your family all that it needs and wants. If I can help someone else to be a better father, it makes me feel good.
I also chose to support him because he’s from the country of Pakistan — which has struggled over the years with violence and terrorism inside its borders. I always think that helping people in countries that are struggling with terrorism is a good thing because if people have better lives, they are less likely to turn to violence.
The loan isn’t a perfect one, though. While it will be paid back monthly, it will take 14 months before we get our money back. That is a little longer than I like loans to take. And while the social service agency that is managing this loan has a low delinquency and default rate — which means we are likely to get our money back — they do charge interest and fees to the people who they are helping.
In the end, supporting a father wins out for me. I know what he is feeling and want to help.
#dadchat
Written by Mr. F