Posts Tagged ‘Kiva’

March 9th, 2010 - 4:56 pm § in Around Town, Colombia, Day in the Life

Day in the Life: Times are Changing

I feel I know Barranquilla reasonably well: I’m finding my way around the city, making friends and—at last—working out how to use the bus network, without needing to get off the bus because I misread where it was going. But for all I think I know Barranquilla, there’s another side that I’v[...]

February 19th, 2010 - 1:25 pm § in Culture, Good Ideas, Nicaragua

When Microenergy and Microfinance Meet

Part of my role at blueEnergy is to manage our two loans through our local microfinance institution. Who would have thought a portfolio of a little over $1,200 would be so challenging? Earlier in 2009, blueEnergy received funds to subsidize individual solar systems for two communities: Set Net Point[...]

February 16th, 2010 - 1:37 pm § in Colombia, Culture, Day in the Life, Event

Day in the Life: Barranquilla Carnival – ¡Quien lo vive, es quien lo goza!

The motto of Barranquilla’s Carnival, or Carnaval in Spanish, is ¡Quien lo vive, es quien lo goza! (literally, “Anyone who lives it, is who enjoys it”). Over the past month, life in Barranquilla has been turned upside down as people live and enjoy the start of the Carnival season. Sin[...]

February 9th, 2010 - 10:19 am § in Colombia, Tips & Resources

Weird Words and How to Learn Them

It almost goes without saying that language is one of the main reasons that people volunteer in Latin America. It could be that they may want to learn or improve their Spanish or Portuguese language skills, and if you speak the local language, you automatically have a connection with people you’re[...]

February 4th, 2010 - 5:02 pm § in Bolivia, Doing, News, Peru, Volunteer

Cusco on My Mind

If you haven’t heard, there have been terrible floods in Cusco, Peru in the past week. Since we are in the thick of la epoca de la lluvia (the rainy season), rain is expected but the level of destruction seen in the area is unimaginable. Tourism is the main industry in Cusco, and the damage [...][...]

January 29th, 2010 - 3:37 pm § in Bolivia, Day in the Life, Doing, Volunteer

Estaré en Paz en La Paz (I Will Be at Peace in La Paz)

Hi La Vida Idealist! My name is Sheethal Shobowale. For six months, I am serving as a Kiva Fellow in South America, working with two Kiva partner microfinance institutions in Peru (Asociación Arariwa in Cusco) and Bolivia (Emprender in Laz Paz). I have pretty much lived my whole life in New York, [...]

December 2nd, 2009 - 2:26 pm § in Around Town, Doing, Looking, Tips & Resources, Volunteer

33 Tips from Kiva Fellows in Latin America

All bound by a shared love of Kiva.org and its “Loans that Change Lives,” Kiva Fellows – many of whom have never met each other in person unless part of the same training group in San Francisco – keep in touch via mass emails for a multitude of reasons ranging from simple camaraderie[...]

September 25th, 2009 - 11:10 am § in Around Town, Doing, Good Ideas, Social Entrepreneurship, Tips & Resources, Volunteer

When Boredom Attacks

One of the images you don’t conjure up when dreaming of a trip to South America is the one of you on your laptop, messing around online for four consecutive hours.  In other words, those days when lunchtime is by far the most thrilling part of your day. On Sunday night, I was excited to begin [..[...]

August 28th, 2009 - 10:22 am § in Around Town, Peru

The Harder Days

I am talking with a friend about the prevalence of domestic violence in Ayacucho, and frankly, how it seems certain communities are socially accepting of men who beat their wives.  Domestic violence is seen as a solution to keep a woman in line, force them into change or acceptance of change, and m[...]





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