For most of human history, the only way to help someone feel warm and fuzzy inside was to feed them a teddy bear. Generate good feeling and avoid the cuddly casualties with today's Groupon: for $15, you get a $25 microloan credit to help fund the working poor on Kiva.org. Whether you give the credit as a gift or make the loan yourself, Groupon and supporting sponsors will add $10 to every $15 purchase, up to $500,000.
With an eye toward alleviating poverty, Kiva empowers the distribution of microloans to highly motivated, low-income entrepreneurs in the developing world and beyond, cultivating a universal community of humans connected through lending. To reach business owners like the woman in Mozambique seeking $300 to buy chicks, feed, and vaccines for her poultry farm, Kiva harbors a deep network of trusted microfinanceinstitutions, or field partners. The streamlined lending process allows generous funders to connect with eager businesspersons in transparent, accountable partnerships based on a mutual show of dignity and respect that underpins everything Kiva does.
Once equipped with your Kiva Credit, bestow it upon a worthy friend or spin Kiva's e-globe yourself to read about entrepreneurs like the Mongolian father of three seeking $1,925 to invest in his burgeoning meat trading business, or the Kenyan mother who has used microloans to scale up her farm. As entrepreneurs repay the loans over time, Kiva returns the funds to the lenders, who are free to then make another loan, donate the funds to Kiva to assist with operational costs, or withdraw the funds via PayPal and stuff them back into the dog's bed. For withdrawal terms on loans made with today's Groupon, see the full terms and conditions.
Since its inception six years ago, Kiva's community has provided more than $170 million in microloans to more than 444,000 industrious individuals on five continents. The active, dedicated community of users and the rigorous review of each field partner buoys the personal bonds and the palpable sense of trust in an ocean of effective entrepreneurialism. To learn more about how Kiva works, click here.
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Kiva's successful and influential microfinance model is frequently featured in national press, including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the San Francisco Chronicle.
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