Looking for a novel Christmas gift? Maybe a pig farm in Bolivia? A grocery store in the Philippines? Doors for a house in El Salvador? This is how it works: you buy a gift certificate for as little as $25 from www.Kiva.org. The person you give it to goes to that site to choose a recipient for his microloan. That money, combined with other microloans, will start or expand a small business in a developing country, allowing people there to earn a living, educate their children, and generally improve their families’ lives. Kiva loans don’t earn interest, but 99% of the loans have been repaid (including all the ones I’ve made). Other poverty-targeted microloan organizations have differing investment amounts, pay-backs, and structures. I mention Kiva because of my personal experience with it. And they offer gift cards which you can give to, say, a grandchild. Then you can go online with him to set up the account in his name. Together you can watch a small investment change people’s lives in a big way, and the grandchild can boast, “I helped rebuild a house in Peru!”
Tag Archive for grandchild
Life Without Muslims
Let’s collect all the Muslims and ship them out of our country. They don’t add much to our culture, anyway. That’s what some people would have us think. Actually, what would our daily lives be like if Muslims didn’t exist? Before you bathe, have your wake-up cup of coffee, go on a trip, take a video of your grandchild, or a number of other things, watch this video to find out.
https://www.facebook.com/onlookeruk/videos/1734553773446522/
Last-Minute Resolution to Consider
This is the last day to make our New Year’s resolutions. May as well forget the traditional weight-loss one, since we fail before February anyway. We could resolve to quit smoking or swearing, be more organized or thrifty…. Then, again, we could step out from our own little world into the larger one. We can make this the year to help protect and nurture a child. Yes, we can send money to support a child on another continent, but why not make it more personal? One way is to volunteer at a local hospital as a person who cuddles at-risk infants, giving them the warm contact that will save their lives. Another is to become a Foster Grandparent, Big Brother/Sister, or Child Advocate. Also, we must do something when we see that timid first-grader being bullied by other kids. Closer to home, we can spend more time with our own children or grandchildren, playing games, taking walks, and providing times for talk to happen. Focusing on children is a resolution that makes a brighter year for everybody.
Happy New Year. May 2015 be a year of peace in the world and in your lives!