Give What You Get

Today seems like a good day to start this collection of writing. Today is about sharing- about acknowledging the fact that I live on this planet with other people.

Last night I joined this amazing organization called Kiva (www.kiva.org) This website facilitates the lending of micro loans to worthy entrepreneurs from all around the world. More specifically, they work directly with the grassroots agencies from each country to get business plans and profiles of people in need of loans- which are posted on the web site- and allow anyone, from anywhere in the world to log on and contribute by loaning all or part of a requested amount to a person of their choice.

My beautiful mother has been raving about this web site/ organization for the past year. She talks about the progress of a peanut farmer in Paraguay, to whom she contributed $50 to her requested $1000 loan. Sounded pretty good.

Last night I received a $25 gift certificated to Kiva.org from her radiant self and explored the site for the first time. Among the pages and pages of street vendors, farmers, beauty salon owners who had all partially raised their requested amounts- I saw a woman from Bosnia who had yet to raise any of her funds. She was requesting a loan that would enable her to purchase seeds to plant in her small farm and double her household income. I loaned her my gifted $25.

This morning I went online to see how she was doing and found that in 12 hours she has raised 97% of her requested funds! I was so excited/energized by this sense of accomplishment that I immediately began searching for another woman to invest in. It was not long before I read the profile of a young woman in Peru- 21 years old (just a few years younger than me) has two children (7 and 2) who was requesting a loan that would grow her business and ultimately allow her to buy a suitable house for her family. She also had yet to receive any money from investors. I loaned her $25 to get her started. I checked back with her, literally 10 minutes later and she had %100 of her funds!

I am still in awe at the power of this organization, of this website and of all the participants. Something small like jump starting a micro loan can have major repercussions! It is the first time that I have really felt the impact that I could potentially have on a person living on the other side of the world. And the impact they could have on me.

My friend Erin, who works for an organization called Free the Children, says 'the world is my home.' I am beginning to understand where she's coming from.

There is nowhere I do not belong; I am from everywhere, with everyone, all at once.

I live in this world with other people.