This week the new social lending service Veecus.com launched. Veecus is a peer-to-peer microfinance network. It allows microentrepreneurs from all over the world to access funds to develop their projects. Lenders can select projects, invest and take part in economic development.
Microfinance institutions (MFIs) supply the loan listings and set the interest rates. Currently there are [...]

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Continue reading → Veecus launches peer to peer microfinance

Below is a video from Esperanza International (from YouTube), the MFI (microfinance institution) that I will be working with in the Dominican Republic. Enjoy!

Time until departure: ONE MORE WEEK!
Take care,
Kalie
      

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• Books Video Golf

Continue reading → Meet Two Dominican Entrepreneurs…

I am not a morning person. I know this about myself, but am starkly reminded of this fact when my alarm goes off at 6am. In a zombie trance I get out of bed, put the kettle on and have a shower. I put on the clothes I chose the night before, as I know [...]

• Shower Tub Faucets Bathroom Plumbing Fixtures Home Improvement

• Shower Panels Massagers Bathroom Plumbing Fixtures Home Improvement

Continue reading → Honey I’m Home ( aka A Typical Kiva Day in the Office )

Hello! My name is Kieran and I am a Kiva Fellow, sixth iteration. I am currently sitting on a turbulent flight back home to London after an intense week of training at Kiva’s San Francisco offices. I am sad to be leaving, slightly worried about the ancient aircraft I’m on (hoping that the technology is [...]

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• London UK Non-US Countries, Town Views Postcards Collectibles

Continue reading → Breaking the tri-Cycle of Poverty

Indian non-profit RangDe.org attempts to bridge the gap between the developed and the developing India. To fight poverty it wants to make microcredit available to everyone at affordable rates. Individual lenders (investors) can lend as little as 1,000 Indian Rupees (approx. 21 US$).
Lenders can select a borrower by browsing profiles. RangDe’s field partners receive and [...]

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• India Asia, Middle East Paper Money World Coins Paper Money

Continue reading → RangDe - social lending in India

In Hanoi the tourist stalls in the old quarter are crammed with all manner of trinkets for tourists to buy. T-shirts are of course popular and there are many that contain that ubiquitous saying ‘same same but different’. Usually I ignore the persistent hawkers ( while fighting back the urge to proudly declare that I [...]

• 2.50, Quarter Eagle Gold Coins US Coins Paper Money

• Trinkets, Hinged Boxes Cat-Domestic Animals Collectibles

Continue reading → Same Same But Different

As some of you might know there is the story about the Guatemalans being a bit scared of people taking their kids for illegal adoption; apparently there was once a Japanese tourist beaten to death when he (or she I don’t know) picked up a kid.
Myself I have had kids dropped in my lab to [...]

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Continue reading → How to adopt a child…..

Well, maybe I’m not the first to discover that microfinance existed in Cameroon before the Grameen bank was founded in India or before Mohammed Yunnus got the Nobel Prize, but I felt like I had when I stumbled upon Njangi while talking to some friends over the weekend. The young people who I’ve met in [...]

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Continue reading → NEW DISCOVERY!!! Microfinance before Grameen

Thy Phlang Village Bank Group
Popeal Khaer Village, Cambodia
Mrs. Thy Phlang is the Village Bank President in Popeal Khaer Village, Kandal Province. There are 33 members in her group.
She is 34-years-old and has two children, both of whom are too young to work or study. Mrs. Thy Phlang’s second child has malaria and takes frequent trips [...]

• Cats Meow Village Decorative Collectible Brands Decorative Collectibles Collectibles

• Alpine Village Department 56 Decorative Collectible Brands Decorative Collectibles Collectibles

Continue reading → Kiva Loans (5/18/2008)

It was in December 2006 when I received an email from my brother inviting me to join a cool new website named Kiva.org which allowed individuals with a credit card to finance entrepreneurs in the developing world. Although I had heard of Microfinance I didn’t fully appreciate what it offered the world until I began [...]

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Continue reading → Fast 6 months!

As I wrap up my time as a Kiva Fellow with Norwegian Microcredit (Normicro) in Azerbaijan, I realized that I cannot adequately summarize in words the knowledge I’ve gained on microfinance and Azerbaijan, things and places I’ve seen, and people and entrepreneurs I’ve met.  For to share about microfinance in Azerbaijan, one must place it in the context [...]

• People Postcards Collectibles

• People Figurines Decorative Collectibles Collectibles

Continue reading → The Role of Microfinance in Azerbaijan II (video)

The past six months have been indescribable. I’ve attempted to wrap my thoughts around them and put them to words, but the result does not compare to the experience. I’m home now, trying to find a way to live here, in this world, with the same passion that comes so naturally when given [...]

• Home Security Home Improvement

• Safes Home Security Home Improvement

Continue reading → On Returning Home… …some thoughts from the plane

Man, it seems like the Ugandan fellows have taken over the blog! I probably should wait my turn but I wanted to tell you about an encounter I had last Sunday.
One of the great sites in Kampala is the Kasubi tombs where the Buganda kings are buried, and so on Sunday in search of [...]

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Continue reading → Sunday at the tombs

4th March 2008… Arriving in Uganda was as welcoming as my wife (Genevieve) and I had expected.  We had heard and read such glowing reports of the country and its people.  After only a few days in the country my first impressions of both the locals and the city of Kampala are extremely positive ones. As we [...]

• Country Music Memorabilia Entertainment Memorabilia

• Apparel Country Music Memorabilia Entertainment Memorabilia

Continue reading → Early thoughts from Uganda

I thought I knew what to expect when we arrived in Uganda. We’d been to Africa before – to Tanzania, Malawi and Zambia – for six weeks as part of a round the world backpacking trip. I fell in love with the continent then, and vowed to return. Next time, I promised myself, I’d do [...]

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• Africa Coins World Coins Paper Money

Continue reading → Uganda - Great Expectations

Over the past five months I have, several times, made the ignorant mistake of poking fun at the perceived idea of ‘cold’ here. Coming from Minnesota, land of ‘the nation’s ice box’, where just a couple weeks ago it hit a record low of 40 below, before wind-chill, I have a different mentality of [...]

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• Land Real Estate Opportunities

Continue reading → Cold Weather

I am finding myself in situations here that require much moral thought, and I can’t seem to come up with the right answer, no matter which choice I make. There are children everywhere, all of them somehow under the age of twelve, and all of them working the same trade, selling bracelets, scarves, and [...]

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• Children Patterns Sewing Collectibles

Continue reading → Child labor?

I’ve found myself lately in a state of peace I can’t seem to explain nor justify. But peace is much preferred to chaos, and I’ll take it, no questions asked. For the first three months of my fellowship I was based in Lima, traveling from there to the different branch offices around the [...]

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• Peace, Anti-War Movements US Political Historical Memorabilia Collectibles

Continue reading → Changes

A few years ago I was told a story of how to tell a first, second, and third time missionary. If you are drinking a glass of lemonade, and a fly lands in it, a first time missionary will ask for a new glass of lemonade. A second-timer will simply remove the fly, [...]

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• Glass Thimbles Sewing Collectibles

Continue reading → Have I been here too long?!

More and more financial professionals are advising clients to not only diversify their investments, but also to diversify their streams of income. What is an income stream? An income stream is simply a means from which you generate income, multiple income streams are more than one way to make money.

Generally, the more the better and the more diversified the safer. Your full time job is an income stream and probably the biggest one you have. Many folks have a full time and a part time job. That means you have 2 income streams. You may have money invested in bonds from which you earn a return; this is also an income stream. What about considering person to person lending using Prosper as another income stream?

First, let’s look at other types of income streams. Dividends on stocks are an example, as well as rental income from property, advertising on your website, Ebay selling, day trading stocks, royalties, interest from a savings account and side jobs like teaching a class are all also examples. Some are passive, some are more active.

The one thing all of these different streams have in common is that they earn income in different ways. This is exactly why it’s valuable to look at your finances in this way.

Lending in an online marketplace like Prosper is growing fast and can provide you another way to earn a return on your investment dollars that are diversified from the stock market and other interest returning investments. Prosper is like Ebay for lending. You can bid as little as $50 on a loan listing if you think it meets your personal criteria for risk and return. Prosper has thousands of loans to choose from.

While there are many other good vehicles out there to earn a return on your investment dollar, peer to peer lending using Prosper is something to consider as a way to diversify and shift the market for lending away from banks and to the public. Banks have become very wealthy earning interest: time to democratize this and let folks like us earn a share!

• Return of the King Lord of the Rings Sci-Fi, Fantasy Trading Cards Collectibles

• Investments Opportunities to Make Money

Continue reading → Lending Money as Another Income Stream

As a Kiva fellow you realize the journals you write quickly become lost in the depths of hundreds of pages, full of testimonials begging to be read. I wanted to share one story I’ve found particularly moving, and hope you will, too.
An excerpt from a journal from Ayacucho, Peru:
“Celia has faced many difficulties in [...]

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Continue reading → Celia

Here on Prosper Lending Review we generally focus on peer to peer lending. Another closely related topic is microfinance, or microcredit. Microfinance is a term for the practice of providing financial services to poor people. By helping them to accu…

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Continue reading → FRA announces microfinance conference

Ayacucho, Peru has a sad story. In the 80s and early 90s, it was there that the terrorist group Sendero Luminoso, ‘the Shining Path’, was thriving, fighting political and social battles that left 30,000 dead and 40,000 who remain missing. Setting foot in Ayacucho today, you’d never guess its painful history, and although [...]

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Continue reading → Ayacucho

Phnom Penh, Cambodia
It seems like every day in the field is a learning experience, specifically, about how the other half lives. Being out and about, visiting people in thatched, stilt homes as we sit barefoot on the floor and smile at each other just seems too good to be true sometimes. I love my work!
Being [...]

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• Work Womens Shoes

Continue reading → More from Cambodia

Hello!  Over the past month I have been experimenting with the video feature on my camera to add to the depth of the journals.  If you’re interested in watching any of these videos (be warned, the quality is not the best!), you can go to youtube.com and search for Kiva Peru.  I believe at the [...]

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Continue reading → Videos on YouTube

Wow, what to say…
I’ve been in Peru now about a month and a half and have had a collection of experiences reflecting every aspect between the poles of ‘what am I doing here?!’ and ‘awe-inspiring beauty’… here are some thoughts I’ve gathered along the way…
Sitting in the idle combi, waiting for it to fill [...]

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• Poles Downhill Skiing Winter Sports

Continue reading → Peru

Kalamazoo, MI. - September 11, 2007 – GlobeFunder, an online microlending marketplace, is happy to announce the hiring of James von Kreuter as Executive Vice President, Business Development and Managing Director, Capital Markets. “Jim brings a high level of expertise…

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Continue reading → GlobeFunder Hires James von Kreuter as EVP, Business Development and Managing Director, Capital Markets.

Finally, Perú is on Kiva. There are now two MFIs active, that Kiva has had discussions with for a while: Finca Perú and Prisma Microfinanzas. They are active in the Ayacucho and greater Puno/Juliaca regions, respectively. All very exciting.Let me add…

Continue reading → ¡Perú! ¡Perú! ¡Perú!

GlobeFunder has contracted with our first major international partner who will be responsible for our on-the-ground fulfillment, execution of the transaction platform, helping to bring additional partners to GlobeFunder, and aiding with our final selection of our international loan servicing…

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Continue reading → GlobeFunder contracts with first international partner

GlobeFunder received coverage from VentureBeat today: GlobeFunder, social lending and microfinance here and abroadBy Dan Kaplan 07.23.07 , VentureBeat GlobeFunder, a new entrant into the small “social lending” market, has raised $1.5 million in seed capital. Unlike competitors Prosper and…

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• Seed Feeders Bird Wildlife Accessories Yard, Garden Outdoor Living

Continue reading → GlobeFunder featured in VentureBeat

GlobeFunder will be launching in October 2007 the first true global online lending exchange for small loans in the United States; select international markets to follow. The process for GlobeFunder to build this robust, scalable platform has taken months of…

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Continue reading → Globefunder to launch first true global online lending exchange

Today GlobeFunder completed our Seed Round of funding. The GlobeFunder team raised a total of $1.5 million that will be utilized towards finishing the GlobeFunder platform, building out the GlobeFunder team, extending our reach into select global markets, and building…

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Continue reading → GlobeFunder completes seed round of funding

It is the day after the United States celebration of the 4th of July, our independence day, and the Founder’s of GlobeFunder and partners are hard at work to meet our October launch date of the GlobeFunder platform. There has…

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Continue reading → GlobeFunder – progress and update

So who is GlobeFunder? GlobeFunder has been a work-in-progress business model for over 1 year. It started when one of the founders received a Stanford pod cast from a friend talking about an industry called microfinance. During this period of…

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Continue reading → Who is GlobeFunder?

A topic on Kivafriends that doesn’t want to die (which shows its importance), is whether to offer interest rates to lenders or not. And it’s a topic that I can’t stop pondering about– I’ve often said that I support it, but that I prefer the “feel-good…

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Continue reading → Interest for Kiva Lenders — why maybe yes, and why maybe not

It’s been a while. Work has been busy (my company was just bought by our largest competitor), and although I’ve been able to contribute various posts to KivaFriends, I haven’t been as active as I’d want to.Reading through Kendall’s reports on the state…

• Work Womens Shoes

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Continue reading → Where the streets have no names and the poor have no chance

Ciriaca Colque is her name. She runs a milk transport business that brings milk from the farms in the Altiplano of La Paz to the local Pil Andina diary factory, in El Alto, Bolivia. El Alto literally means “The Height”, and high it is: 4150 meters (13,…

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Continue reading → Finally… Bolivia!

Disclaimer / Challenge: please note that the blog post you’re reading is based on my personal insights and logic I think is true. As I have no economics or financial background at all, I would be thrilled to be proved wrong. Please let me know if you d…

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Continue reading → Paying interest to Kiva lenders

Following Pondering Pig’s example, I created a My Google Map (or a Google My-Map or whatever) for my investments. Here it is.Some other users Kiva Maps:Christopher from LondonFred from TexasPomerleau Family’s mapPondering Pig’s map (which we already me…

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• Investments Opportunities to Make Money

Continue reading → All Kiva investments on one Google Map!

This post is in direct response to Richard Kent’s encouragements to keep on investing in Kiva, in a thread at the Kivaloans Yahoogroup mailing list. Richard is the Ugandan CEO/D for Children Care Ministries, a religious based charity in Uganda.My reply…

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Continue reading → Poverty: why bothering is good for us

For those of you that haven’t visited Kendall Mau’s blog in a while, or that haven’t visited his blog at all, please do so. He recently added a WEALTH of information about the inner workings and considerations of the MFI he runs in Honduras and Nicarag…

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Continue reading → Go see Kendall Mau’s blog!

Since it’s a new month, I just entered by bimonthly loan, my loan number 12. This one is to Dunia Herrera, why sells cloth in Choluteca, Honduras. Choluteca, in addition to having a cool name, looks on Google Maps just like the place I’d like to spend …

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• Carolina Herrera Women Discount Fragrances Store

Continue reading → Small loan to Dunia Herrera in Choluteca, Honduras

As I have described over and again, my believe is that in order for a micro-entrepreneur to be successful, the business (and thereby inferred–the micro-loan) needs to fulfill several objective and subjective criteria. If they don’t, then the loan is n…

Continue reading → Kiva and longer loan terms

One of the advantages of investing into a local opportunity through Kiva is, that you, consciously or subconsciously, keep better track of what is going on in those countries in which you invested. And therefore, when things are happening in Ecuador, i…

• Ecuador South America Coins World Coins Paper Money

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Continue reading → Soon to be Republica Bolivariana de Ecuador?

As I must have told all of the 3 people that read this blog on an (ir)regular basis, for the last few months I have been trying to get something going between Kiva and Peruvian MFIs. My report on what I did while I was out there last month, has been lo…

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• Real Estate Opportunities

Continue reading → Opportunities for Kiva in Perú

Recently, Perú’s president Alan Garcia launched a campaign called “La Hora Sin Demora”(time without delay) against a perceived endemic national (or even transnational) problem: tardiness. Although campaigns like this appear to be popular in Perú, I d…

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