In december 2006, i became a microlender through Kiva (here’s my lender page). I lended US$25 to Jeanina Quezada who sells shoes and handbags in Guayaquil, Ecuador. One small step for man… one small step for mankind :).

The other day, i ran across an article on PSFK that re-sparked my interest with microfinancing. And lo and behold, Jeanina had just finalized her payback, so my $25 was free again. The money was promptly lended to Isabel Chongo of Boane, Maputo, Mozambique. Isabel has a store and she needs financing to re-stock it. She has studied chemistry but had to stop that when she became pregnant. Now she supports her family with her business, and the business is doing well. This loan is now fully raised and is ready to be started.

I also thought i could help a wee bit more, so i offered to loan $25 each for Monica Bernita in Guayaquil, Ecuador (like Jenaina Quezada above) and Grace Wacera Ub from Nakuru, Kenya. Monica Bernita has a soda shop at a school, Grace Wacera Ub sells clothes.

I believe in the help-you-to-help-yourself scheme. I believe in capacity building. If you have US$25 to spare and an Internet connection (a paypal account and a credit card would help too) you too can help to move the world one microstep in the right direction.