On my flight back to Vancouver an article about microlending caught my attention. If you're not content with merely buying a goat for a farmer in a developing nation, you may want to consider lending her some cash as well. Microcredit, as it is called, allows people who are willing and able to extend credit to unemployed or poor entrepreneurs, often in developing nations, who are otherwise unable to secure loans that could potentially give them the leg up they need. These people often fall prey to usury and loansharking and become trapped in a cycle of debt. Microlending programs like Grameen bank and Kiva aim to break this cycle by providing loans that are low risk to lenders and potentially life changing to borrowers. As it is more accessible to the internet community, I think I might give Kiva a shot.
Alyssa and I have been giving donations as presents for our parents Christmas presents. Last year we decided on the micro loans. We used to give goats or fishing nets, but there's a lot of training that goes into it. The microloan lets people make money off things that they're actually skilled at. The loan we chose from World vision gets payed off without interest and the money is then used for another loan. It seems pretty positive.
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