Make a loan, change a life...

What a great concept.  In the spirit of the micro loan revolution, pioneered and popularized by Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr. Muhammad Yunus and his Grameen Bank, we now have the same concept supercharged with all sorts of Social Software goodness.

I intend to get involved here, but well worth the time to look into if you are so inclined.  By the way, 100% of the loans go to the entrepreneur, though Kiva asks (nicely) if you would be willing to throw in an additional 10% to help them pay for overhead (and if you're in the U.S. it is tax deductible).

Update and Further Thoughts:
Okay, so I have my own account set up here now, and am excited to look through the lending possibilities.  It struck me that this could be a great way to help children learn how to save, invest and give as well as give them a chance to learn about other cultures and people.

... I hope this service is still around when I decide to have kids ... years and years and years from now ...

Side note:  For those that insist on a return for your loan, see Zopa and Prosper as the more capitalistic version of microcredit (albeit not generally to disadvantaged or developing nations).

After you make a loan, Kiva gives you the opportunity to challenge others to participate with email (aha, viral marketing!).  Because I don't give out the email addresses of my friends and associates, I'll just post the letter here:

Hi!

I just made a loan to someone in the developing world using a revolutionary new website called Kiva.

You can go to Kiva's website and lend to someone in the developing world who needs a loan for their business - like raising goats, selling vegetables at market or making bricks. Each loan has a picture of the entrepreneur, a description of their business and how they plan to use the loan so you know exactly how your money is being spent - and you get updates letting you know how the business is going. The best part is, when the entrepreneur pays back their loan you get your money back - and Kiva's loans are managed by microfinance institutions on the ground who have a lot of experience doing this, so you can trust that your money is being handled responsibly.

I just made a loan to an entrepreneur named Satia Carcia in Samoa. They still need another $475.00 to complete their loan request of $850.00 (you can loan as little as $25.00!). Help me get this business off the ground by clicking on the link below to make a loan to Satia Carcia too:

http://kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&action=about&id=9115&referralId=

It's finally easy to actually do something about poverty - using Kiva I know exactly who my money is loaned to and what they're using it for. And most of all, I know that I'm helping them build a sustainable business that will provide income to feed, clothe, house and educate their family long after my loan is paid back.

Join me in changing the world - one loan at a time.

Thanks!

Jame Healy