Kiva sounds very interesting:
Kiva lets you connect with and loan money to unique small businesses in the developing world.By choosing a business on our website and then lending money online to that enterprise, you can “sponsor a business” and help the world’s working poor make great strides towards economic independence. Throughout the course of the loan (usually 6-12 months), you can receive monthly email updates that let you know about the progress being made by the small business you’ve sponsored. These updates include reports on loan repayment progress, photos of new capital equipment, narratives on business growth and standard of living improvements, and more. As loans are repaid, you will get your original loan money back.
via Seth Godin, who added:
The idea seems to be that anyone can be a microlender… Instead of spending $25 on lattes, you can help a farmer in Bangladesh buy a bull… and then he pays you back.
» Kiva - Philanthropic Microlending by Blueprint for Financial Prosperity on October 31st, 2005 at 8:49 pm
[...] I first read about Kiva on the Business Opportunities Weblog and I fell in love with this idea. Basically, you can lend (or you can donate) money to businesses (micro-business) in a developing nation. Read their about page for more information. [...]
» Kiva connects First and Third World business on October 31st, 2005 at 10:08 pm
[...] Kiva, an interesting site I picked up on from the Business Opportunities Weblog [...]