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No matter how low the economy becomes, caring people still have the desire and the will to help struggling people, regardless who they are and where they come from. It seems as if there is always somebody for someone in need. We have become a world of one—a world where someone in Paraguay or Peru can suffer and that pain and loneliness can be felt in the United States or Britain. One such example is the KIVA organization, helping someone to lift themselves out of poverty while paying back donated money is something new and unheard of.

I have just started with this organization at kiva.org, and my simple donation of $25 has recently helped a woman in Paraguay by the name of Rita Bareiro in her clothing sales business. I chose her because she desires to hire other women in her already-established business of 25 years. Aged 59, she has no children and is separated from her husband. Her goal? To own her own home and expand her sewing workshop for employment to single mothers, as she feels that is a segment of the workforce in Paraguay least supported by society.

For this dream, she was requested $275.00 for fabric, thread, zippers, buttons, etc. for her present workshop, a business loan which she would repay back in ten months. On January 5, 2009, she was sent this amount by people like myself who donated amounts in $25 disbursements. As of this writing, many countries are involved in need: Peru, Paraguay, Tanzania, Tajikistan, Bolivia, Cambodia, Nicaragua, Pakistan, and Azerbaijan. The age ranges from the young thirties to one elderly woman of 77 who was wanting to increase her rooms to rent for an income.

The money is paid back by through self-designated loan times or there will be no more loans to them, so this is an incentive for them—with the wide majority excellent for paying back their loans. The good thing about the KIVA organization is that one can choose where and who they want to loan to, and the loan amount ranges from $25 and higher, depending on the 12,500 donors who are helping these people now.

Step-by-step process of loaning money through KIVA:

• Lenders like myself join KIVA and browse the profiles of low-income entrepreneurs in need. Through their profiles, someone is chosen to loan money to through PayPal or a credit card. The funds are collected through KIVA, passed onto one of the country´s microfinance partners.

• The loans are distributed to the selected entrepreneur, with provided training and other needed assistance to maximize their chance of success.

• Through the designated time stated on the profile, the entrepreneur will repay their loan, which are posted on KIVA and emailed back to lenders who wish to receive them. • The lenders receive their money and can either keep it or reinvest it with someone else in need.

• The lenders can offer $2.50 when they first send in their entrepreneur payment to cover KIVA expenses. When they received their invested money back, additionally they can donate the fund to KIVA for operational expenses or completely withdraw their funds.

KIVA has been named as one of the top 2006 ideas by the New York Times Magzine, enabling microfinance institutions to raise debt capital directly from social investors via the internet. It is 0% interest for both parties, with losses arising from client default absorbed by KIVA´s social investor.

Considering that KIVA is the world´s first person-to-person micro-lending website which enables people to connect with and make personal loans to a developing world—KIVA with the help of donors are revolutionizing a fight against global poverty—where a donation of $25 or $50 or $100 will buy a cow or a sewing machine to help these individuals earn their way out of poverty.