KIVA is an organization that connects lenders with small business startup folks in developing nations.
You can browse their site and find folks such as these:
-Woman in Uganda wanting to start a used clothing business and needs $40.
-Single parent in Nicaragua wants to start a cloth and dress making supplies shop and needs $75.
KIVA oversees the project and provides "risk" ratings on each borrower. You can get email updates as to the status of the business you are supporting. Loans are generally repaid within a year. There is NO interest on borrowed money, however, the knowledge of the push you've given to a family's effort for self support should do quite nicely.
Consider it. It doesn't take much money, frequently $25 will get someone going in their business efforts, but it goes a long way in their effort to become self sustaining.
Who knows......maybe when our economy finally hits bottom a new billionaire in another country will remember who was there for them when they needed it most.
Paying it forward is always good Karma.
