I posted this elsewhere online a couple of weeks ago. But it occurs to me that I ought to mention it here too. Kiva.org — the microlending website — is offering a special while-supplies-last promotion where, if you sign up for an account and start making loans, they’ll give you an extra $25.00 to get you going.
It’s funded, they say, by a donor who wishes to remain anonymous. He (or she) intended to give people one more incentive to do this very easy, very important, charitable-but-not-charity thing that helps people around the world help themselves.
And I’ll tell you: it worked for me. I’m making loans now, specifically for agriculture and food-service ventures, to folks in six different countries. And to set that all up, it took me a total of about five minutes from my day.
For those who don’t know, Kiva.org is — according to Kiva:
A non-profit organization with a mission to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty. Leveraging the internet and a worldwide network of microfinance institutions, Kiva lets individuals lend as little as $25 to help create opportunity around the world.
You can find out more about how microlending with Kiva works here.
And if you decide that you like it, and you want to sign up, you can do so here.
Obviously — no pressure. But as long as I have my little soapbox of a web site, I figure that I might as well use it to do something good.