From one Kiva Fellow to another
This last week in SF has been a roller-coaster for me. I have been given a wealth of information, but more importantly I met my fellow Kiva Fellows and Kiva Staff. As terrified as I may be at times (like right now!), I know I am not alone. I know I am not the only one facing certain challenges at my MFI or at my country of placement. I know there are 24 awesome people all over the world who for the next 4 months share the title of Kiva Fellow with me.
One of the most interesting moments for me this week is when we received a video made by the prior class of Kiva Fellows (KF15), who are currently out in the field and starting to wrap up their placement. My class, KF 16, received a very warm welcome from KF15with tips and advice as we embark on our journey. Although the video made by KF 15 is not yet available online, I wanted to share the one that KF12 made for KF13 about a year ago. This gives you an idea of the sense of community at Kiva, and the amazing people who have taken the challenge and opportunity to be a fellow in the past.
Earning my title of Kiva Fellow
Hi guys, sorry I’ve been MIA for some time — I’ve been in San Francisco since Sunday earning my title of Kiva Fellow at the Kiva HQ. This week has been nothing short of intense. I’ve met the some fascinating people, including my fellow Kiva Fellow trainees, Kiva staff, and volunteers. I have learned SO much about how Kiva works, and I have so much left to learn. More than anything, these days have been incredibly eye-opening. Kiva is not as simple as many may think, it is a complex business model executed by a talented staff (close to 80 people), eager volunteers (hundreds of them), and all the Micro Finance Institutions (MFIs) that partner with Kiva to disburse the loans on the ground.
Because the Kiva model is pretty complicated to explain here, I leave it up to Kiva to take you through the inner workings (for the simplified and long version click here). I am impressed with all the controls and systems that Kiva has in place to prevent/monitor fraud, protect all parties involved (borrowers, lenders and their partner MFIs), and innovate in the field of micro lending. Yes, I still have many questions and I am still not clear as to why some things work the way they do, but I have witnessed how Kiva works tirelessly to be transparent in everything they do. All while trying to come up with new ways to do what they do better.
I have also learned that I will have to simply roll with the punches once I am in El Salvador. I will be the first Kiva Fellow to ever be at Fundacion Campo, so I will have to implement and train the staff at Fundacion Campo on a ton of new procedures and reporting that Kiva requires of all of its partners. I may not be liked right away, I may not be able to get things done as quickly as I may like, I may feel lonely and homesick — but it’s all good. My job as a fellow is to make it work, and make sure I take Fundacion Campo from point A to point B on a number of items — all while having fun, of course!
I leave on Monday, and yes — I am overwhelmed. But I know I have my fellow Kiva Fellows, and Kiva staff to support me and keep me honest.
Fundraising update — I have reached 55% of my $5,000 goal. This goal includes airfare from the U.S., internal transportation, visa, internet and cell phone costs, basic needs – lodging, food, misc., for my entire 16 week* placement. Any travel I do outside of the confines of my fellowship will be covered by me, and all money I fundraise will go exclusively to the part of my experience that is for helping others. If I have any donor money left over after my service, I’ll donate it immediately to Kiva. There is one small asterisk. Due to tax constraints from Kiva, the donations can not be tax-deductible. This is because the Kiva Fellows have to fundraise on their own and separate from the Kiva umbrella.
I will be creating a “Donors” page soon, so stay tuned for that. If you’re interested in contributing to my Kiva Fellowship, you can read more about it here. You can use the “Donate” button on the left to donate through PayPal. Feel free to email me at andrea.d.ramirez@gmail.com with any questions.
Until the next post, probably from El Salvador!
Andrea
*Since my very first post, And The Adventure Begins!, I have confirmed that my placement will last 4 months instead of 3.
It’s (almost) GO time!
Hi guys, just wanted to write a quick post to (i) thank my new donors, and (ii) cross a few things off my to-do list!
First, thank you to my new donors!! Thanks to your contributions I have reached 43% of my goal.
Ana Bolivar
Sayuri Ganepola
Susan Sadd
Also, I just completed my United Nations Microfinance Distance Learning Course!! Boy, that was intense — but I did learn a ton, and it has given me a good foundation as I get ready for more training in SF in about a week. I have also figured out how to get to San Miguel from San Salvador (it’s about a 3 hr bus/car ride). I am still researching where I’m going to stay the first couple of nights while I figure out a more permanent arrangement. I confirmed I don’t need any special vaccinations and that I need to get a tourist card upon arrival in San Salvador. I am very lucky to have been able to connect with a former Kiva Fellow who served in El Salvador a year ago (just a different town from where I’ll be). His help has been priceless — answering my list of questions while giving me great advice!
I have to say, this Fellowship is not only giving me the chance to experience something incredible and hopefully make an impact — It has also reconnected me with old friends, given me a channel to share what I know about microfinance with people who had never heard of it, and even deepen existing relationships.
My day of departure is getting closer and closer, so stay tuned as the best is yet to come!
Thank you to Donors!
Luz María Santos, a Kiva Borrower from El Salvador
As everyone knows, I’ve been raising money to go to El Salvador as a Kiva Fellow for 12 weeks this Fall. I’m responsible for paying for the whole trip from airfare ($990) to housing, transportation and basic necessities in the field. I came up with a conservative budget of $5,000 by looking online ahead of time at the cost of living and the expected costs I would incur and putting everything into a spreadsheet. It’s such an amazing opportunity and I’m putting $1,500 of my own money towards my Fellowship Fund.
I want to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who has made a donation to my Fellowship Fund. This experience will not only change my life, but hopefully yours as well because I’ll be sharing the entire experience through my blog, the Kiva Fellows blog, through video and really want everyone to feel like they’re going on this journey with me.
I’d like to say a huge thank you to all my donors.
As of Tuesday, July 26, 2011:
Adam Aroian
Ally Fedorov
Benjamin Rodriguez
Dan DiFilippo
Eleanor Gaffney
Ian Gray
Irina Winiarsky
Jennifer Acevedo
Jeremy Capes-Baldwin
Jorge Correa
Karen Pickerill
Katherine Kim
Libardo Valencia
Man Fung Wong
Sean & Daina Olsen
Tim Carpenter (Alinea Investments LLC)
Yvonne Mellor
Thank you so much for your support, it means the world to me.
If you’d like to contribute, please click here or contact me with any questions at andrea.d.ramirez@gmail.com
Final notes:
* This is a donation to fund my participation with Kiva.org. Unfortunately due to nonprofit tax laws, Kiva has advised all Fellows to share with you that a tax-deductible letter is not possible since the donation isn’t to Kiva itself. However, I will be sending EVERYONE acknowledgments thanking you for your donation.
* For donations over $100, I will send you a personal postcard from my location. I’ll compile that list before I go.
* Other cool incentives for donations over $100 to come, so stay tuned!
Crossing things off!
The weekend has arrived yet again, and I thought I’d leave you with a quick update. My never-ending to-do list (which I am sure you have one too!) is getting shorter! I have (i) confirmed that a Colombian citizen with permanent residence in the U.S. (me) does not need a visa to El Salvador; and (ii) a major one – I have purchased my ticket to El Salvador! I will be heading off bright an early on August 22nd. So, my itinerary for August is looking like this:
End my current internship at an NGO in NYC on Aug. 12th –> Take GRE on Aug. 13th –> Fly to San Fran on Aug. 14th –> Return to NYC on the red-eye from SF on Aug. 19th –> Arrive to NYC on Aug. 20th —> Pack, last-minute details, pack! –> Farewell NYC, hello El Salvador on August 22nd!
I also wanted to thank all of you who are helping me make this Fellowship a reality. Thanks to your support I have reached 36% of my goal in a little under 2 weeks!
I still have a long way to go, but I know with your help I can get there. Please consider clicking this link, or the “donate” button on the left. Every bit helps!
If you are curious to understand how Kiva works, and what happens to your money after you’ve made a loan, I encourage you watch this short video made by a former Kiva Fellow, Kieran Ball. In this video Kieran follows a micro-loan from the minute it is made in the UK, all the way to Cambodia, where it is disbursed.
A Fistful Of Dollars: The Story of a Kiva.org Loan from Kieran Ball on Vimeo.
Hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and please stay tuned!
Sincerely,
Andrea
The ever-growing to-do list
I’m not going to deny it, I’ve been on the verge of a melt-down in the last couple of days from thinking about all that has to get done in the next month. So.much.to-do.
So, I’ve started to make lists. On everything I can get my hands on – napkins, post-it notes, several notebooks — all so that I don’t miss something I read I should pack, or forget to do something before I leave the U.S. Unfortunately, I am not a traditional planner. I rarely plan a lot – for anything – I typically just figure things out as I go. This time, I’m trying to be more methodical, so I am fighting my ways as much as possible. I am banking on the satisfaction of crossing things off my enormous to-do list, and the panic of not doing something I should have, to push me through this next month.
I am heading to San Francisco on August 14th, so pretty much all of these things have to get done by then:
- Take the GRE exam – yes, I had the brilliant idea of doing all of this at the same time. This will be the first time I take it, so we’ll see how it goes.
- Buy plane ticket to El Salvador – continue to research discount options
- Confirm housing in El Salvador – thankfully I have a wonderful friend who lives in San Salvador, who is helping me understand my options
- Confirm if I need any sort of visa for El Salvador – it’s tricky with my Colombian citizenship, pretty much I need a visa for every country!
- Confirm if/what vaccinations I’ll need
- Review Kiva’s reading list – I have like the equivalent of 6 books worth of reading, we’ll see how far I get
- Finish UN microfinance course online – about 15 hrs worth of training, a course given by the UN walking me through all the basic technical aspects of how microfinance works
- Finish reading the pre-training materials on the Kiva Fellows wiki site – they have info such as what to pack for certain territories, advice about visas, health insurance, etc. Thank God for the prior Fellows and all their insight!
- Send Kiva a copy of my passport, flight details, and intake form
- Figure out if I should get additional health coverage
- Continue to acknowledge contributions to my Fellowship as they come in, and update the records I am keeping of donors
- Write bio for Kiva site
- Call bank/credit card co’s and let them know I will be abroad for 4 months
- Get fraud protection coverage for the time I am away (thank you Chema for the advice!)
- Make packing list for SF
- Make packing list for El Salvador
- Continue to promote the Fellowship
- Update budget for my Fellowship and share with everyone
A quick one to Thank YOU
I wanted to wait a couple of weeks before giving an update on my fundraising efforts – just to avoid annoying you with all my FB activity and never-ending blogging! — but, I am just so touched by your generosity that I could not wait.
For those who know me, you know I am bad bad bad at fundraising or selling, or anything related. I can’t even sell you something that you want to buy. However, I believe in this cause, and I am determined to see this through till the end – and so, if it requires fundraising, I think it’s well worth the effort. Nonetheless, I was hesitant.
However, to see your support in the last couple of days has been extremely touching. In the last 2 days you, my friends, have helped me raise the funds to cover 1 or 2 months of rent, or perhaps cover most of my plane ticket to El Salvador.
I thank you from the bottom of my heart, not just for your contributions, but for believing in me and in an idea that I believe can help change the world we live in.
I am very excited — and also scared, not gonna lie — about what’s ahead, but I find comfort in knowing that you are all with me as I take on this adventure.
Sincerely,
Andrea
I am officially a Kiva Fellow!
It is with great excitement and immense honor that I’m announcing that I’ve been accepted as a Kiva Fellow for the Fall of 2011! Friends know that I’ve been on pins and needles through an intensely rigorous interview and selection process and so I’m just so thrilled that this is the next step on my journey.
My own personal introduction to micro-lending and micro-finance institutions was through a class I took while in college on the U.S. banking system. My professor introduced my class to Kiva and the world of microfinance by funding a small loan to be made on behalf of our class. We would vote for the entrepreneur that would receive our loan and track their progress. A couple of years later I stumbled upon Dr. Muhammad Yunus’ book, Creating a World Without Poverty, while looking for a good read. Through him, I learned that the eradication of poverty does not need to be only based on charitable donations, and that our society on the path to discover the potential that a “social business” represented not only for helping the poor, but also to do so in a sustainable and profitable. I am not going to lie, it took some time for me to come to terms with how I felt about the poor. Since I was about 5 years old until now, witnessing poverty has been something that has struck a cord. However, I always found myself conflicted as to the way I should and could help. At times I felt as if I simply did not have the means, and at others I felt like no matter what I did it would not make a difference. I also felt guilty at times about my relative wealth, and not helping the poor in a developing country for the cost of less than a dollar a day – like they say in those incredibly sad commercials on TV. And so, time passed by, and I went on trying to push away my conflicting feelings about the poor. That is, until a couple of months ago.
A couple of months ago I came across a video of a lecture given by Jessica Jackley, one of the Kiva co-founders, at a TED conference. While listening to the video, I felt that finally someone had been able to put into words all the conflicting feelings I’ve had about poverty for as long as I can remember. And even better yet, I was not the only one that has felt this way.
Jessica and her partner Matt Flannery founded Kiva back in 2005, the world’s first person-to-person micro-lending website. Kiva is currently empowering more than 594,000 individuals to lend directly to almost 575,000 entrepreneurs around the globe.
After watching Jessica’s video I felt that I needed to act on this urge to help. I could no longer kick it aside and pretend it wasn’t there. I decided that although maybe I could not solve the problem entirely nor right away on my own, maybe if enough of us do a little something to contribute we can alleviate poverty within out lifetime. So, after realizing it was time for me to move on, I decided that perhaps the best place to start was the place that I first called home, Colombia. I did a bit of online research and came across a couple of foundations doing micro-finance work locally. I found a phone number, called and asked them if they accepted or needed volunteers. They were completely puzzled by my question, but they did mention that the only volunteers they had came through Kiva. Ah ha!
Right away I searched in the Kiva website and found the blog for the Kiva Fellows. As I read about the Fellows and their work out in the field, I realized I was really connected to their vision. I was in luck, and the deadline for the next class of Kiva Fellows was two weeks away. I wrote my motivation statement and other writing samples after work during those two weeks. After waiting patiently for a few weeks, and going through rigorous rounds of interviews (about 6-7 people apply for each Fellowship position), I received the great news that I had been accepted to be part of the 16th class of Kiva Fellows.
I’ll obviously be writing a lot more about Kiva, micro-lending and micro-finance in the months to come. In the meantime, here are some quick updates:
When?
I will be in San Francisco the week of August 15th for training. I will then be leaving for my placement, which is scheduled to start on September 1st.
How long is the Fellowship?
Placements vary on the individual but my current plan is on being gone around 12 weeks.
Where?
I have been assigned to a Micro Finance Institution called Fundacion Campo in San Miguel, El Salvador. I will be the first Kiva Fellow to work with Fundacion Campo as they are just becoming a partner as I start my work with them.
Is it paid? How is it funded?
The Kiva Fellow is an unpaid, volunteer based position designed to increase Kiva’s impact and to offer participants a unique insider experience. I have to raise my own funds for my travel. This is where, very soon my friends, YOU will come in. I’ll be launching a campaign to help raise some funds for my expenses within the next couple of days. Your donation will go directly towards all activities around my Fellowship.
What will I be doing?
The Kiva Fellowship is a 40-hour+ a week position. I will be working directly with a local Micro Finance Institution. Part of my responsibilities may include going out in the field and meeting with people who would like a loan and walking them through the process, I will be writing the stories of the potential entrepreneurs which is how people find out about them on the website, and helping people repay their loans, understanding their loan agreements, etc. My understanding is that I may also be sharing best practices with the MFI and maybe giving training sessions to help them streamline and optimize their operations. I will be blogging on the Kiva Fellows blog about my experiences as well as here.
What Am I Most Excited About?
I’m thrilled to have this opportunity to merge together my academic and professional experience with being able to share with all of you my experiences and what the day-to-day is like of being a part of Kiva. More than anything I am thrilled to have the opportunity to do field work and be participating in a very real way, on the ground, in helping alleviate worldwide poverty.
I’d like to leave you with a PBS/Frontline video that explains the real impact of micro-loans and how Kiva works.
If you haven’t ever given to Kiva before, I strongly suggest that you check out their website and the profiles of current entrepreneurs. It only takes as little as a $25 loan, which you will get paid back to either reinvest or withdraw.
And the adventure begins!
Family and Friends,
As many of you have heard, I was recently accepted for a Fellowship with Kiva.org. I will be in El Salvador for 12 weeks this Fall to assist with their efforts to help alleviate global poverty through microfinance.
If you’re hearing about Kiva for the first time, you’re not alone. Kiva.org is a non-profit that allows you to lend capital to a specific low-income entrepreneur in the developing world and in the US. In increments of $25, you choose who to lend to – whether a farmer in Nepal, a brick maker in El Salvador, or a restaurateur in Mongolia – and as they repay their loan, you get your money back. You can then choose to re-invest your money, or you can withdraw it. It’s a powerful and sustainable way to empower someone right now to lift themselves out of poverty and an innovative way to see how you make the difference.
My job as a Fellow will be to assist my MFI (Microfinance Institution) partner, Fundacion Campo, and be the bridge between the MFI and Kiva.org. It will be my responsibility to add new micro-entrepreneurs to Kiva’s website by writing their stories and photographing them, as well as meeting with entrepreneurs that have already received loans to verify the loans disbursement and hear about the progress. In this way I will assist with Kiva work, but I will also help train the staff of (MFI) on how to best implement Kiva’s online platform to help them fund the poor. The Fellowship program is unique in the variety of tasks that I undertake and the potential for a lasting impact on the people of the city I’m placed in, the staff of the MFI, and Kiva.org.
My Fellowship begins on August 15th with a week-long training at Kiva headquarters in San Francisco, and will be truly underway on September 1st when I start my work at the MFI. The fellowship is not paid and I am responsible for raising support to cover airfare and living expenses for the duration of my 12 weeks abroad. I’d be grateful if you would consider joining with me and financially supporting my fellowship.
Since Kiva was founded, over $224 million dollars have been donated by more than 947,000 lenders in 70 countries. That money has funded over 50,000 entrepreneurs funded in 213 different countries. The current repayment rate is 98.79%. Isn’t that powerful?
I have created a full budget of my expenses and am looking to raise $5,000. I am funding as much as possible on my own, but every little bit counts so please give what you can!
There are a couple ways to give:
1) Donate via PayPal clicking on the button below:
2) If you’d like to donate airline miles or help support my trip in other ways, please send me an email at andrea.d.ramirez@gmail.com
Final notes:
* This is a donation to fund my participation with Kiva.org. Unfortunately due to nonprofit tax laws, Kiva has advised all Fellows to share with you that a tax-deductible letter is not possible since the donation isn’t to Kiva itself. However, I will be sending EVERYONE acknowledgments thanking you for your donation.
* For donations over $100, I will send you a personal postcard from my location. I’ll compile that list before I go.
* Other cool incentives for donations over $100 to come, so stay tuned!
Thank you to everyone! Your support is a source of inspiration and fuels me daily to help in the fight to erradicate global poverty and help people everywhere be the best they can be. With the help of Kiva, they will have the tools and resources to be self-sufficient.
Sincerely,
Andrea
The home stretch!
It’s been a few weeks since my last update — so I thought I would share the good news so far!
I have gone through the two rounds of interviews at Kiva – one with a former Fellow, and another with a Kiva employee. I am now anxiously waiting for a decision. Kiva is currently contacting my references, and I should find out in a couple of weeks whether or not I am recommended to be a Fellow. A couple of weeks later, I would then find out the location assignment.
So, I sit tight and wait..and fanticize of what being a Kiva Fellow can bring.
On other news, I took the big step and gave my resignation at work! It was a huge step for me, being tremendously risk averse and all. My four-year career as a consultant have come to an end, for now. While I wait to hear back from Kiva, I have decided to take an internship at a microfinance network here in New York. I am terrified, but also so excited to learn about microfinance as much as possible, absorb every bit as a sponge! While I am at it, I will study for the GRE and see how that goes.
Well, the wheels are in motion .. the scape has taken place, and the adventure is just getting started!
Viva la Kiva 