Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Online Microloans

Last night I watched Frontline. The first piece was on human rights abuse in Burma. Luckily, to counteract the depression they then showed a piece on a new microlending non-profit. Uganda - A Little Goes A Long Way .
The idea is to put up people's microloan applications on the web and allow individuals to loan out small amounts to a specific person and business. It's so simple and beautiful that I can't believe it hasn't been done before. It's really exciting to see the positive ways that technology can make an impact. If I had any money I would be donating right now. The non-profit is called KIVA. Their server is overwhelmed at the moment, but you can donate money to buy a new one.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hi Breena,

We are completed humbled by the response that the Frontline documentary has generated. Thank you also for writing about it and spreading the word of how people can get connected with a worthy cause, in a practical and relevant way. Please visit the site again soon (we should be okay by tomorrow) as we have over 300 businesses that are waiting to be partnered up with!

Regards,

Tim (volunteer with Kiva.org)
tim@kivavolunteers.org