Kiva, sounds like hope

Kiva, Loans that change lives. The microloan groundswell that began just 2 years ago is making a difference one loan at a time to small business and individuals worldwide again this year with record numbers of small lenders like you and your neighbor investing as little as $25 at a time.



Kishwer Azam's family business is just one of many helped by these peer to peer loans. Over the months to come we'll report back regularly on how the micro loan has fullfilled its purpose and the experiences of those involved.

From 7 P.M. EST Christmas evening it took less than 45 minutes for the Azam family's loan to be granted from lenders in British Columbia to Columbia, Maryland.

Kishwer's story

I have one son and live with my family in Multan, a medium-sized city in Pakistan. My son is too young to attend school. My husband operates a fruit business that he would like to expand. He is requesting a loan of $250 for this purpose. He intends to buy seasonal fruits in bulk with your loan. We hope we will able to give our child a sound economic future.

Greener Magazine

Micro loans, major impact

Ki•va \´kē-vƏ \ n [Hopi] : An underground or partly underground chamber in a Pueblo village, used by the men especially for ceremonies or councils.

Now

Kiva the little shop of honors, the honor system that is allowing folks like you and me to invest a little or a lot in your fellow man, woman, child.

From their site:We let you loan to the working poor

"Kiva lets you connect with and loan money to unique small businesses in the developing world. By choosing a business on Kiva.org, you can "sponsor a business" and help the world's working poor make great strides towards economic independence.

Throughout the course of the loan (usually 6-12 months), you can receive email journal updates from the business you've sponsored. As loans are repaid, you get your loan money back."

Here’s the way it works, Kiva provides a forum for borrowers seeking a small loan for a new start up, or to capitalize an existing small business or just to improve the overall condition of life for their family in a developing economy.

The prospective borrower's story is told on Kiva’s website and potential investors can choose which loan application to fund with small loans starting at $25. Pooling these resources, a borrower promises to pay back these micro-loans over a predetermined life of the loan.

The loans are non-interest bearing so don’t look to double your money but do expect to get your money back; they have a 99.7 % payback rate, along with the knowledge that you have done something meaningful.

And the real payoff, you can turn right around and recycle (reloan) your money to help someone else.

Greener Magazine

Bono's wife unveils African Conservation Cotton Initiative

EDUN a socially conscious, sustainable clothing company launched in 2005 by Bono’s wife Ali Hewson and clothing designer Rogan Gregory, recently announced unveiled the Conservation Cotton Initiative (CCI).


The initiative works towards improving the livelihoods of communities in Africa by promoting greater investment in sustainable and ethical production of conservation-friendly agricultural products.

CCI's focus is on organically grown cotton production methods that, in part, transition from conventional, traditional farming practices used for decades by the farmers in that region.

Their further goal is to incorporate sustainable agricultural practices that can successfully coexist alongside efforts to protect local wildlife. To that end CCI has partnered with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), which currently works on sustainable conservation farming in Madagascar, Uganda and Zambia.

EDUN and the WCS hope that by working directly with local farmers to promote “conservation cotton” they can improve the livelihoods of communities living and working in landscapes crucial to wildlife.

In well-managed landscapes, where higher incomes are possible, the negative impact of people and farming in particular on their local natural habitats is often lessened. The effort is expected to generate funds that will go directly back to the community to support sustainable natural resource management in African nations.

“Eighty percent of Africans live directly off the land, so it is imperative that Africa’s natural resources are managed sustainably,” said Dr. James Deutsch, WCS director for Africa programs. “Working with EDUN, which has been a global leader in promoting markets in Africa, is a natural fit for the Wildlife Conservation Society", he said.

The project deployed in 2007 will continue over the next three years to increase production of organic cotton and farmer incomes while protecting key conservation areas. Additional partners in the project include local governments, donors, NGOs and others involved in the production and marketing of organic cotton in the focal countries.

Greener Magazine

ABOUT EDUN::

EDUN is a socially conscious clothing company launched in spring 2005 by Ali Hewson and Bono with New York clothing designer Rogan Gregory. The company's mission is to create beautiful clothing, while fostering sustainable employment in developing areas of the world, in particular Africa. In 2005, EDUN launched the edun LIVE brand of blank t-shirts. The edun LIVE range enables EDUN to drive further trade into Africa through high-volume sales direct to the wholesale market. The tees are 100% African produced, from the fields where the cotton is picked, to the factory where the final printing process occurs.

Edun live available online at http://www.edun-live.com/.