If you’re looking to donate or invest in an organization that’s doing great work but you’re not sure where to start, we’d like to recommend Kiva Microloans.
Kiva is a United States-based non-profit organization (NGO) that works with microfinance institutions all over the world to provide funds to people or groups that don’t have access to typical banking methods. Their projects are vetted and approved; 100% of the money you invest goes to the project of your choice.
Investments begin at $25.
What is Microfinance?
Microfinance is a tool for alleviating poverty. It it financial services including loans, banking, and saving for poor communities.
Microfinance falls into many categories – education, agriculture, disaster recovery. The projects on Kiva are widely varied.
For that reason, going through their project list can be an overwhelming experience. To help you out, here are a few projects to start with that we’ve also funded ourselves:
- Furniture and a generator for a school in Pakistan
- A water filtration system for a Girls’ school in Uganda
- Vegetable stock for a vegetable farm in Kenya
These are some examples of projects we’ve previously funded that are now fully funded (!):
- Surgical Supplies in El Salvador
- Chicken Feed in Bulk for resale in rural areas in Zimbabwe
- A water filtration system for a school in Uganda
When you sign up and donate through this link, you automatically give Scandinavia Standard another $25 to invest. Please note that this does not mean we earn $25 for ourselves, but rather that we have a $25 credit to spend on another project. When the loan is repaid, Kiva (not Scandinavia Standard) gets that money back. Win-win-win.
When you confirm your loan, you have the option of adding a donation to the Kiva HQ, which goes towards their overhead costs. We strongly recommend that you do this – every bit helps, and they need to keep the lights on somehow!
Thank you so much for taking the time to consider the wonderful work of Kiva Microloans. We hope you have a joyful and healthy holiday season!
– The Team at Scandinavia Standard
Have you funded a loan? Have another organization you’re excited about? Share it in the comments!