An introduction to Kiva

We Let You Loan to Low Income Entrepreneurs!

Kiva's mission is to connect people through lending for the sake of alleviating poverty.

Kiva is the world's first person-to-person micro-lending website, empowering individuals to lend to unique entrepreneurs around the globe.

The people you see on Kiva's site are real individuals. When you browse entrepreneurs' profiles on Kiva, choose someone to lend to, and then make a loan, you are helping a real person make great strides towards economic independence and improve life for themselves, their family, and their community. Throughout the course of the loan (usually 6-12 months), you can receive email journal updates and track repayments.

Then, when you get your loan money back, you can relend to someone else. Kiva partners with existing microfinance institutions. In doing so, we gain access to entrepreneurs from communities world-wide. Our partners are experts in choosing qualified entrepreneurs. That said, they are usually short on funds. Through Kiva, our partners upload their entrepreneur profiles directly to the site so you can lend to them. When you do, not only do you get a unique experience connecting to a specific entrepreneur on the other side of the planet, but our microfinance partners can do more of what they do, more efficiently.

Fighting Disease with a Little Soap and Water!

Celebrating Global Handwashing Day, Oct. 15, 2009!



We talk about the importance of safe water and adequate sanitation often, but neither of these goals is accomplished in a silo. Hygiene education is a vital part of the mission of Water For People and whenever possible, we incorporate it into country programs. We've discussed that 6,000 people die everyday from water-related diseases, but did you know that within this disturbing statistic, 4,000 children under five die every year from diarrheal diseases due to poor hygiene and lack of access to sanitation?



Today, Water For People programs throughout the world will celebrate Global Handwashing Day and you can join us.



Visit Water for People for the complete update and more information on how you can meet them at the sink for Global Handwashing Day!

Do you know of a project that will have a significant impact on water management or access to clean water?

Do you know of a project that will have a significant impact on water management or access to clean water? Nominate it for the Nestlé Prize in Creating Shared Value!

Nominate an outstanding innovation for the Nestlé Prize in Creating Shared Value. More information at: http://www.nestle.com/CSV/CSVatNestle/CsvPrize (deadline: 31 October)

Help develop it for others by nominating it for the Nestle Prize in Creating Shared Value, a substantial investment can help bring this innovation to others around the world.

The Nestlé Prize in Creating Shared Value will be awarded for the first time in April 2010 to encourage and reward innovative approaches to the problems of nutrition, water, and rural development. Nestlé believes that developing countries face under-investment in key social sectors, and that rewarding truly significant and innovative efforts to meet the global challenges creates shared value for us all. Nestlé will commit to the Prize winner an investment of up to CHF 500,000 for a specified period of time, to assist in the development and scale-up of the innovation.

The Nestlé Prize in Creating Shared Value will recognize local efforts to practice the Creating Shared Value principle and will be awarded to an individual, NGO, or a business, which has demonstrated innovative techniques for improving access to and management of water, improving the lives of farmers and rural communities, or delivers high nutritional value to populations suffering from nutritional deficits.

Spread the word and nominate worthy projects until 31 October 2009 on http://www.nestle.com/CSV/CSVatNestle/CsvPrize