Having discussed posted about helping the environment yesterday I thought I’d continue in the helping vain by reminding readers about Kiva.

This is an organisation that provides financial support to people in less developed countries who are running their own business and supporting a family or their local community.

Now, when I say that Kiva offer financial support what I really mean is that Kiva members offer the financial support. As a member you can make donations that will be lent out to applicants so that they can develop their business. In effect this is a loan that they agree to pay back over time.

As a lender you won’t get any interest on the money you provide but you have the satisfaction of knowing that you are contributing to the welfare of people who otherwise would find it difficult to improve their circumstances.

The funds from Kiva are managed by local charities who oversee applicants and manage the repayment of funds. As with all financial transactions there is a small possibility that your money may not be returned but Kiva make every effort to make sure that this is a very rare occurrence and from my own experience I know this to be the case.

Perhaps the best way of illustrating where your money might go is to introduce you to two people that I have recently contributed to. The first is Thao Bunthun from Cambodia who sells drinking water to support his family. He requested a loan of $1,200 to buy a truck so that he can transport his supplies. Now I didn’t provide all of this amount, in fact my donation was fairly small at $25 but as there are a lot of Kiva members it doesn’t take too long for the full sum to be realised.

The next person is Yuliya Glinyanaya from the Ukraine. She is seeking funds to buy more products for her farm supplies business. Again my $25 contribution isn’t all that she needs and only just dents the $2,525 she has requested but it’s a start and I know many other members will contribute to raise the total.

So, if the idea of helping those who are trying to improve their lives by their own efforts appeals to you why not have a look at what Kiva have to offer.

If you don’t have funds of your own to lend then perhaps you can offer your services in other ways as there are several areas where they need help.