This week Virginia and I invested a small amount of our money in a business in Cambodia. We participated in this ‘micro lending’ through Kiva. Kiva’s stated mission is “. . . to connect people through lending for the sake of alleviating poverty.” Investing through Kiva is not a way to earn interest, and you might lose the money you invest. However, this is a simple yet profound way to make a small difference in someone’s life. You lend the money through Kiva’s website, it is distributed by a third party on the field somewhere, and the receiver pays it back as their business grows. We participated in a small loan of $300 to help a family build the weaving business. Here’s the info that was provided about the people we helped: “Mrs. Sopheap Chea, 25 and her husband, Mr. Phally Heng, 27, have been married since 2003 and have two children: one son and 1 daughter. One of them attends school and other one is still young. The family lives on an island in the Mekong River about 15 kilometers from Phnom Penh City. Sopheap has been a weaver for more than ten years. She sells her finished products to a middleman who then takes it to sell in Phnom Penh market. Her husband is a security guard. She is requesting a loan of US$300 to purchase silk material for weaving.”
10 others participated in this loan, making it very easy to help someone on the other side of the world. I think you should consider checking Kiva out. 
One Response to “Kiva”
My son told me about this program last year when he invested $100. This year he upped it to $500. He was very excited about being a part of people so far away. Thank you for sharing this great idea with others.
And thank you for reminding us that we have Christian friends all around the world that we can help.