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Don’t get ripped off, invest your charity

A young boy once asked me for some change at the crossing of 6th Road and Murree Road in Rawalpindi. He didn’t have one hand. I didn’t have guts to say no. I gave him some money. I felt sorry for him.

I didn’t see the boy the next day. Or the day after. He was gone. Days passed. I forgot about him.

Then, one day, he appeared again. Still begging, but with both hands. This time, I felt sorry for myself.

This is our dilemma. With all the hanky-panky going on everywhere, it’s hard to find a deserving, needy person.

Well, not any more. Kiva comes to the rescue.

Who is Kiva?

Kiva is microfinancing on steroids. Microfinancing++.

In their own words, “Kiva lets you connect with and loan money to unique small businesses in the developing world.”

Basically, you choose a business of your choice from their website and make a loan of $25. Twenty five bucks! Kiva works with a local field partner to distribute the funds and you get your money back within 6-12 months. You can then lend it to someone else, or buy yourself a meal.

Cool, eh?

Here is more. Kiva’s supporters include PayPal, YouTube, Google, Yahoo!, Lenovo, and Microsoft.

Asasah is currently their only field partner in Pakistan.

Read a review in Stanford Magazine or logon to Kiva.org for more details.