Small Things Count

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!”