Last Friday morning my post on the official Kiva Fellows Blog mentioned the devastation of the 2007 Peruvian Earthquake in Ica, Peru and the surrounding areas. At 2 PM local time later that day, another earthquake shook the city. Kiva Fellow David Connelly, my predecessor here at Kiva Partner Caja[...]
Posts Tagged ‘Microfinance’
Machismo Madness: In with Microlending, Out with Machismo
For the month of July, La Vida Idealist asked bloggers to write about their experiences with machismo. This is the final post in that series. Each Kiva borrower visit I perform here in Ecuador introduces me to new role models. New strong, inspiring women I can look up to; women who, through their [...]
Migration, Microloans, and the Journey of a Kiva Fellow
On Monday morning, long before the sun rose on Quito, Fundación Alternativa’s Business Manager, two Loan Officers and I embarked on an all-day journey to remote Chunchi, Ecuador. After the promised “three-and-a-half hour drive, at the most,” we arrived at our final destination another five ho[...]
June 24th, 2011 - 6:45 am § in Argentina, In the Field
Pride and Picture Frames
After months of working in the office, I will finally get the chance to go into the field. Destination: Santa Fe, about a five hour bus ride from Buenos Aires. Here, Habitat for Humanity-Argentina is working with around 130 families, providing them with credits and loans to attain adequate housing. [...]
Quito, Kiva, and the Delicious Results of Cross-Cultural Connectivity
Saturday afternoon I found myself bending over the kitchen table, squeezing shredded carrots into spring rolls... I have never made spring rolls from scratch before, and certainly was not expecting to when I moved to Ecuador. But let me tell you- these homemade Ecuadorian-Chinese spring rolls blow N[...]
If I Won the Lottery Tomorrow: Why Everyone Should Volunteer
I think it should be mandatory for every university degree to include a volunteer component, whether locally or internationally. Why? I have recently returned to my home in Canada after eight months of working at a Costa Rican microfinance organization. Most of my friends have university degrees and[...]
Profits vs. People
Costa Rica is arguably the most “developed” country in Central America. But at what cost has this “development” been attained? Is it really an accomplishment to be able to say, ¨We cater to the interests of gringos better than anyone else?¨ Or would it be more noble to pass[...]
Working on Working with Dios
Being surrounded by co-workers who believe in something you don´t can be stressful, but I´m working on it. [...]
