Fatima is 39 years
old, married, has two children, and lives in Limón, Costa Rica. She and her
husband separated several years ago. Therefore, she supports her children’s
education and living expenses selling clothing, purses, perfumes, sandals, and
other items. She treats her customers well and has a satisfied client base.
She and six other
members formed Banco Mujer Pacuare Group to invest in street
trading and making bathing suits. They plan to use the additional income to improve
living conditions for the members and their families. Seed money is needed to
expand their business.
Kiva, a nonprofit
organization, works with microfinance institutions on five continents to
provide loans to people without access to traditional banking systems. The
borrower, Fatima’s group, will create a payment schedule to repay the loan. The
lender is then able to loan money to other borrowers.
In Costa Rica, funding for microfinance institutions is difficult.
Kiva works with Fundacion Mujer to help
women, a marginalized population in Costa Rica. In addition to the loan,
Fundacion Mujer provides specialized training programs for their borrowers.
Today’s gift was to give Fatima money on the Kiva website to
help reach her $5,000 goal. As of today, she has raised 53%. My donation—as a
loan to her—is paid back on her schedule so that it can be loaned again to
another deserving borrower. My high school friend, Debbie, has made 27 “loans” in
the past and posted it on Facebook. When I clicked on Debbie’s post, she was
credited $25 that will be invested in another good cause.
I have posted it on my Facebook page. Now when someone clicks on
it, I will be given $25 to invest in someone else. This is truly the gift that
keeps on giving. Every time I am “repaid”, it is given to another person like
Fatima and helping to improve the lives of those who are supporting their
families.
In Giving,
Robin
