Kiva.org

So last year... well, probably farther back than that, I turned into a rabid NPR listener... well, rabid may not be the best descriptor, but let's just say that I developed a voracious appetite for public radio while I was stationed in Japan.  Really, the reason I was turned onto NPR is because the great technology that Apple had developed in their software for music 'iTunes' had this great free feature called 'podcasts'... well, add to the mix nothing but Armed Forces Radio as the only real English station to listen to while I lived in Japan, and well, anyone who has served overseas and has been subjected to AFR, or AFN(etwork) as it's become called, because yes, they do television too...  and after about a week or two of listening to it, one becomes quite tired of hearing about doing your taxes on time, being a good representative of the USA, etc., etc., etc.,... seriously, George Orwell would be proud.  (I blogged about it in one of my early posts) But since most folks in the military, don't really have a choice, and they do in fact play American music, most people like me would listen to them.  Well, that was the case, at least, until I found out about podcasts... once that world was opened to me, and I could find a way to auditory entertainment, without having to listen to the propoganda of AFN, I was hooked.  'Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me', 'This American Life', 'All Things Considered' 'The Car Guys' all these became favorites of mine that I would listen to on my daily commute to work... well, it was during one of these particular shows, maybe 'All Things Considered' that I found out about Kiva.org

Kiva is a microloan organization, dedicated to the advancement of microloans in underdeveloped countries.  But more importantly, what it does, is enable those of us in developed countries to use our comparatively abundant resources to help those trying to make a living in under-developed countries.  In 2006, this idea made headlines when Muhammad Yunus won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in assisting thousands of under-privileged Bangladeshi women attain their goals by lending them small amounts of money (compared to most western loans) with a small interest amount, in order for them to start businesses.  The idea caught on, and today micro-loans are thriving, and the innate human spirit of entrepeneurship is thriving due to people loaning less fortunate ones money.  Anyway- I just wanted to bring it to your attention.  It's a really worthy cause, and when you research it, you find that Kiva.org does it very well... they had a small piece on an NPR show, and something about it caught my interest, and I've been going about it ever since.  I started with four loans, and of those four, three have already been paid back... tonight, I just added three more with the money I received from the paid loans... anyway, it interests me, and it warms my heart to know that I'm making a small difference in whether someone in a third-world country can buy stock for their small grocery business or parts for their taxi, or merchandise for their garmet store.  If you are interested in trying this out, please email me, and I'll send you an invite via Kiva.org.

Meanwhile, if you are looking for something interesting to listen to, 'This American Life' with Ira Glass is hands down the most interesting hour on radio.  If you've got time, download one of their podcasts, and you'll be hooked.  They are really good, and objective, and interesting, and thought-provoking.  Just give it a chance.  Anyway- here's to doing something good for someone today... just because you can.  Well, cheers, and good night.