PAT International Action
The Economist, December 2007
“'Peer-to-peer' lending is working its way into the charitable sector too; Kiva.org puts potential 'social investors' in touch with small businesses in the developing world, which promise to send e-mail updates on how the business is developing.”
This is how PAT parents and other well-wishers can support families in developing countries:-
Just click on the Gift Certificate image above to go directly to the Kiva website where you can buy a totally unique gift that will both encourage a new supporter and help a family get started on supporting itself. These gift certificates make ideal Christmas and Birthday presents.
Sending a Kiva gift certificate is completely safe, quick, easy, inexpensive, transparent and immensely powerful. This is all you need to do:
buy a certificate from the Kiva website; write a message on the certificate to accompany this gift for your family or friends; send your gift certificate by email; or print and send it in the post."PAT parents are currently supporting 15 families with Kiva loans."
The people who receive your gift certificates can then redeem them to make a loan which you have paid for that will help a working family. Of course what we hope is that this kindness and generosity from you will spread the habit and inspire more generosity from your own family and friends.
We know from experience that this snowball effect can be very powerful. Just a little help can go a very long way. Each loan from a PAT parent can benefit as many as fifteen new family members around the world!
“94 percent of world income goes to 40 percent of the population while 60 percent of people live on only 6 percent of world income.”
PAT has adopted Kiva.org as our first international partner because the families they support come from the poorest countries and because these families are working hard to build a sustainable future by their own efforts by starting a small family business.
By choosing a family business on Kiva.org, you can "sponsor a family" 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. Of course when you do get your money back you are entirely free to do whatever you want with it. We hope that you will use it to support another family get started on building a livelihood for themselves again.
Kiva has partnered with existing microfinance institutions. In doing so, we gain access to motivated and determined individuals from impoverished communities world-wide. Our partners are experts in choosing qualified borrowers. That said, they are usually short on funds. Through Kiva.org, our partners upload their borrower profiles directly to the Kiva site so you can lend to them, so that you can monitor the progress that each family makes and so that you can keep in touch if you want to. Click here to get started now!
“Half of the world population lives on two dollars a day. Over 1 billion people live on less than a dollar a day. This is no formula for peace.”
"Kiva has been nominated for "Most likely to make the world a better place" in the 2007 Crunchies, a collaboration project between GigaOm, Read/WriteWeb, VentureBeat and TechCrunch which recognizes the most compelling startups, internet and technology innovations of the year."
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