I’m proud to introduce Knitters for Kiva, a new group that will hopefully inspire many of you to take part in the exciting and inspirational microfinance revolution.
Here’s the basics: Kiva is an organization that helps people in developing nations acquire short-term microloans. These microloans often go to women and people who otherwise cannot qualify for traditional lines of credit from banks. Many experts believe these loans to be more effective at bettering the lives of people in developing countries than traditional philanthropy, where money is often donated without any knowledge of specifically how it gets administered.
Check out Oprah’s take on microcredit.
I’ve been loaning through Kiva for about six months now. I try and target my donations to women in developing nations who have crafting businesses, but I’m not strict in my lending. I’ve already received over half my initial investment back to reinvest — I’ve already made 12 loans.
And now, through the bloggers with a heart challenge, I’ve created the Knitters for Kiva group. Please consider joining today — you can loan as little as $25, and the money gets paid back to you! You don’t have to be a knitter to join, either, just a person who wants to help. As we raise more loan for Kiva, I’ll post updates to my blog.
Are you on Ravelry? There is a Ravelry Team of Kiva loaners and also a Kiva group on Ravelry. These are all folks who knit and crochet as well as providing many loans for Kiva. Not a bad idea to come at it from another angle though, so hope you have success with your group.