Give a Little This Christmas...

Every year we spend who knows how much on ‘stuff’. Stuff for ourselves during the year, and stuff for friends and family at birthdays and Christmas time. I’m not saying this is wrong, or even useless … but maybe you could consider giving one extra gift this year. At just $25 it’s not expensive, and you can help change someone’s life. Kiva is a non-profit site that offers microloans to people. Someone might need money to help put a roof on their house, to buy a cow or chicken, or seeds so they can plant and get food, money so they can get supplies for their shop, or even just get clean water … all things we take for granted. But it means the world to people elsewhere. Your $25 goes towards what they need. I was introduced to Kiva through fellow Aussie genealogist, Judy Webster, who created the Kiva group “Genealogists for Families“. Judy has continued her father’s tradition of lending money to hard-working people who want support but not handouts. Your $25 can be loaned over and over again, and as it is repaid, it does more good than a one-time donation to charity. Judy created this group in September 2011, has since then it has continually grown. Currently the Genealogists for Families group has 351 members (made up of geneapeeps from all around the world) who have collectively supplied loans to 9455 people. Impressive isn’t it! Here’s some other impressive figures … But it’s not so much the amount lent, or even the numbers of those lent to … but rather the fact that these people have then been able to continue on with life a little easier thanks to the loan. So while you’re out and...

$25, the Gift That Keeps on Giving...

Christmas is the time for giving, and I want to tell you about a very special gift that everyone could give, and it only costs you $25. Kiva is a non-profit organisation that give loans to those who need it from 80 countries around the world. These needing it can request loans for education, for food, for housing, for health, for sanitation as well as livestock and chickens amongst other things. Things that we all tend to take for granted. Note I said LOAN. This is not a donation, as you will get your money back. You simply look through the list of people requesting and you can choose by country or choose by category (health, housing, agriculture, men, women etc), and once chosen you can then click on the person, read the bio, and click on the “Lend $25” button, then go through the checkout. Your loan, together with others who choose to support this person will help change someone’s life. Once enough people support this person to reach their requested loan value, your loan gets paid back slowly, a little each month. And then you can choose to have the funds returned to you, or you can use the credit to relend to someone else. Kiva themselves  say “Lenders crowdfund the loan in increments of $25 or more.” So you see how it works? $25 really is the gift and keeps on giving. In September 2011 Australian genealogist Judy Webster, continued her father’s tradition of lending money to hard-working people who want support but not handouts, and to do so created the “Genealogists for Families” group on Kiva. I am proud to be a part of this group, and have helped many with loans over the past...