Takeaway from KIVA

"I don't believe in charity; I believe in solidarity. Charity is vertical, so it's humiliating. It goes from top to bottom. Solidarity is horizontal. It respects others and learns from others. I have a lot to learn from other people." ~ Eduardo Galeano

Have you heard of KIVA? Kiva is a non-profit micro-lending organization that connects folks around the world who need a loan with people who are willing to make those loans, often at $25 increments. I am giving my tiny share, and one year of my activity with KIVA has been completed. I have contributed an amount of 25 $ as a loan ten times from June 2013 to May 2014. Hence, a total fund of 250 $ is acting as seed money on KIVA today. 100 $ has been returned by the borrowers and is in circulation again as a revolving fund. I too got a 50 $ bonus for introducing two friends on KIVA. You may doubt what I say, but you will believe what I do with the proof. This is my Profile at KIVA for verification purposes. The complete process of giving loans and reimbursement through KIVA is explained in a previous blog post.

The poor and the weakest fight harder for survival, so they deserve more. They need only a little money to set up a business that can dramatically improve their standard of living. This is where commercial capital isn't willing or able to serve.  Milaap in India and KIVA are one of the best start-up ideas I've seen. They are doing humanitarian work and completely benefiting all the stakeholders.

The smallest deed is better than the greatest intention. - John Burroughs

WHY I LOAN? I loan because I can. Only capacity and compassion are required to do these small acts. I have a certain degree of positive bias towards the marginalised. As a traveler and native of India, I have seen poverty firsthand and am committed to making the world a better place for all. Ground truth and lived realities are the collateral benefits of becoming a 'Rural Manager'. Aid is a nice but not sustainable way to help people. I had questioned myself a great deal, and this made me choose a suitable way to help others.

Some people claim to become altruistic only when their own self is fulfilled. It's a pity that they lack a sense of “enough”. Often, the ‘successful’ tend to become ‘insulated’ from society as they get richer and more successful. Most of them gradually generate an attitude of apathy and contempt towards the poor because the relationship is based upon social and economic inequality. In return, among other things, they always endure the relentless stares of poverty. An unequal society with a majority lacking even basic amenities will tend to create undesirable reactions. I am not asking that everyone should have the same, but that each must have enough. So, such 'successful' persons need to awaken the inner conscience for empathy. To whom much is given, of him will much be required.

"If not us, who? If not now, when? " - A slogan given by Czech University Students in Prague, Nov. 1989.

I always recite this slogan in the hours of doubt. I am not seeking political activism and grand relief work from the readers. A small, sustainable, and efficient way to change the world is better than fascination with a big project. I usually follow a simple mantra, ie, matters of lifestyle: One can change, provided the will is there. I will ask readers to help people through small loans. Doing this doesn't require much time, absence from office for volunteering, and doesn't deplete one much of the hard hard-earned money. I agree that it is neither glamorous nor can it make one famous, but it will make a difference to someone!

*I am planning to start contributing to another platform called Rang De with a new job.

Little is not little, enough is not enough.

I have decided to lend $25 each month from my salary to people in need of credit. This will be done through KIVA. KIVA is a lending platform with a 99.03% repayment rate for 340,986,325 transactions in ended loans. This loan repayment rate is much higher than any bank. I will decide later on repayments that how much of my money will be further used either as a loan or development aid. This is my Profile at KIVA, so that one can always check the authenticity of the claim.

A story of how a small loan from you can change the life of a family

How Kiva Works (http://www.kiva.org/about/how)

1- Make a loan: You make a loan on KIVA. All KIVA loans are made possible by our Field Partners, who vet, administer, and disburse each loan.

2- Get updates: Throughout the life of the loan, you will see progress updates from Kiva through your email, and if you come back to the site.

3- Get paid back: As the borrower repays the loan, the money becomes available in your account. This is called your Kiva Credit.

4- Repeat: You can now use it to fund another loan, donate it to Kiva, or withdraw it to spend on something else.

Why did I choose KIVA?

Development aid has been flowing for decades, but the results have been absolutely dismal. Instead, recipients have merely become dependent. There is a long chain of "middlemen," i.e,. The consultants and the companies are involved in this "trade" between the donor and the beneficiaries. Hence, I find microfinance as a better instrument to alleviate poor than a poorly designed development aid. People should decide how to help those in need. It needs a very big database of demand and supply of credit, with the purpose of the loan clearly mentioned. KIVA is doing just that thing. Hence, we will be far less likely to complain that their money is being wasted or misused if we choose where it goes.

I believe that our society cannot sustain, unless we contribute back in some way or the other. I strongly feel that if even one person does their bit towards social good, there will be a positive change. I am not giving anyone a lot of theories, clever strategies, or concepts. I am asking for direct cash transfers to the needy as a loan. In helping others, Little is not little, enough is not enough.