$2,025 of $2,200 raised.

Started raising funds on Mar 21, 2010




Nakibuule Annet, shown at the top left as well as in the group photo, is a very hardworking lady with a restaurant business. She is a single mother of three children who are all in school and this is the best reason why she works so hard.

Annet prepares breakfast, lunch and supper for her customers in Nabuti. She is able to make 75,000/= as weekly income and she says that this would be more except that at times the food prices are hiked due to external factors.

Annet needs to expand her business further by being able to prepare a variety of foodstuffs as well as building a comfortable home. She needs a loan to be able to buy more foodstuffs for her restaurant.

$275 of $425 raised.

Started raising funds on Mar 20, 2010




Elizabeth Sonkarley is the leader of the group of five borrowers called Beginning Group. She is 45 years old, widowed, and has six children who range from 5 to 24 years old. Elizabeth was able to attend school through 11th grade.

For 6 years, Elizabeth has been selling charcoal at the Parker Point Market in Paynesville, which is near Monrovia, the capital of Liberia. She says that she provides her customers with good quality charcoal, which keeps them coming to her for business. One of her challenges is that there are many competitors in the market.

Elizabeth plans to use her 6,000 Liberian dollar portion of this 30,000 Liberian dollar group loan to buy more charcoal.

In the photo that accompanies this profile, Elizabeth is the one holding the sign. Oretha Gblah is inset at lower left.

About LEAP:

The Local Enterprise Assistance Program (LEAP) is Liberia’s largest and oldest continuously operating microfinance institution with 13 branches across the country. Founded in 1994, the non-profit organization has survived periods of civil war and severe socio-economic hardship. LEAP seeks to help rebuild post-conflict Liberia through its group and individual loans to micro- and small-scale entrepreneurs, and puts emphasis on lending to women.

$75 of $750 raised.

Started raising funds on Mar 20, 2010




Yanet is a member of the Manantial Community Bank. She lives with her partner and is 27 years old with two children. Yanet sells a variety of fruit on foot in the market. Additionally, on Sundays, she travels to fairs where she sells her fruit. Yanet needs a loan of 2,100 soles which will be invested in the purchase of a mototaxi so that her husband can work. Yanet’s dream is to improve her business and provide a good education.

Translated from Spanish by Kate Divjak, Kiva Volunteer

$50 of $425 raised.

Started raising funds on Mar 20, 2010




The members of the group Yalama-Yalama are essentially married women averaging 40 years of age and five children each living in monogamous families in Noumousso, a district of Kadiolo City (3rd administrative region of the Republic of Mali).  The group members are collaborating with the micro-finance institution Soro Yiriwaso in order to satisfy the needs of their customers.  They are now on their fifth solidarity loan.  All the preceding loans have been repaid.

The group members sell oil, wax pagnes (colorful West African cloth), and cosmetic ointments, and they work in food catering.  With their new loan, they intend to buy four 20-liter containers of oil, six bolts of pagnes, a 100-kg sack of rice, three packets of condiments, and a 75-kg sack of beans.  Supplies are gotten at the big market of Kadiolo City and from neighboring villages. Sales are made at the market, out of the home, and by going door-to-door.  Cash and often credit is accepted from customers composed of men and women. 

The group members each envision making a monthly profit of 30,500 francs CFA.  A portion of the profits will be put into savings and used for family needs.  The other part will be invested in the businesses. 

Translated from French by Dan Kuey, Kiva Volunteer

$75 of $125 raised.

Started raising funds on Mar 20, 2010




Yawa Telou is a 38-year old woman who is married and has two children. She lives in Kpalimé, a town which lies 120 kilometers from Lomé. She is a retailer of bananas, kola nuts and avocados, and she gets her stocks in Agou, a village not far from Kpalimé. With the loan from Kiva, Yawa would like to buy these fruits in order to resell them. With the profits she makes, she would like to save some money so that she can in the future buy a motorbike.

Translated from French by Alison Le Bras, Kiva Volunteer

$1,975 of $2,200 raised.

Started raising funds on Mar 19, 2010




Temirkhanov Yakubkhan is dedicated to agriculture and the sale of cultivated vegetables. This means that he can be around his family, helping to improve their quality of life and educate his three children.

Yakubkhan has been characterized as hardworking, and he has been working in agriculture since he was very young. This kind of work requires effort, dedication and above all, strength, as it can include heavy work, meaning that people get tired quickly. In spite of this, Yakubkhan is determined to raise his family’s standard of living and improve the quality of the seeds he cultivates. For this reason, he is asking for help in order to receive more credit from Kiva partner, IMON International.

More about Tajikistan
Tajikistan, a key post on the Silk Road, is perhaps best known for its rich history. It was the location for the end of Alexander the Great’s rule, and is known for its great thinkers, philosophers, scientists and poets such as Rudaki, Ibn Sina (Avicenna), Firdousi, Omar Haiyam, Jomi, Mavlavi Rumi and many others. The country, with its epic mountain passes, is home to communities that still speak the ancient Sogdian language and a civilization that dates back to the fourth millennium BC. Even today, it is a complex mix of the Islamic faith, Soviet culture, New West culture and Central Asian traditions.

However, Tajikistan is also the poorest of the former Soviet republics. The civil war, which ignited soon after its independence from the USSR, damaged the already weak economy. In addition, 93 per cent of the country is mountainous and only 7 per cent of the land is arable. These conditions have resulted in high levels of unemployment and have forced hundreds of thousands of people to seek work in other countries, mainly Russia. While the people of Tajikistan are working to improve its agricultural production and manufacturing sector, nearly two-thirds of the population still live in abject poverty.

More about IMON International
Since December 2007, IMON International has worked closely with Kiva and Kiva lenders to ensure that poor and low-income clients represent a viable business proposition. Funds raised through Kiva have already been distributed to thousands of IMON International’s clients and will continue to provide thousands more with permanent access to the varied financial services they need. To learn more about IMON International’s work, please visit: www.imon.tj

$525 of $1,200 raised.

Started raising funds on Mar 18, 2010




Mr. Yawovi TENGUE was born on November 19, 1977 in Amadenta, in Golfe Prefecture.  Married and a family man, he is a clothier by training.  But due to a lack of funds for equipping himself to open a workshop, he operates out of his home.  However, the sewing machine he uses is dilapidated and can no longer function correctly.  He’s therefore requesting financing for buying more effective sewing machines and some work supplies and equipment.  The profits derived from this business will enable him to maintain the financial stability of his family.

Translated from French by Dan Kuey, Kiva Volunteer

$350 of $750 raised.

Started raising funds on Mar 18, 2010




Kamahanga William is a diligent farmer who is married with four children. He carries out his farming activities at Rutabago, Rukungiri district. He has been a farmer for a long time, a period dating back to the early 90‘s.

Some of the major challenges that have constantly made William lag behind include a lack of farm inputs and insufficient capital to transport his produce to the more lucrative bigger markets in the urban centers of western Uganda.

William foresees a favorable change in his circumstances if he can access a loan that can be repaid over a long period so that it could benefit him. He believes he will be able to improve his farm by mulching and be able to transport some of his produce to the bigger markets.

$275 of $1,050 raised.

Started raising funds on Mar 18, 2010




Born in 1977 in Kové, in the south of Togo, Woussa Ablavi Zikpi is housewife. She works hard to achieve something in her life. She sells fish and vegetables, like tomatoes, door to door or at various market places. With this small revenue she manages to provide for her family expenses. Despite her low level of education, she is able to manage her budget and to achieve financial self-sufficiency. To meet the needs of the growing number of her customers, she is requesting a loan to pay for daily supplies of fish and tomatoes. The success of her business will allow her to make a small profit and cover the household expenses.

Translated from French by MONICA URBAN, Kiva Volunteer

$200 of $550 raised.

Started raising funds on Mar 16, 2010




Pictured above are members of the ‘Work For Yourself’ group from Magburaka, a town in northern Sierra Leone. They are small-scale businessmen who have applied for a loan of SLL 1,000,000 for each person. With the help of this loan, these small-scale entrepreneurs will be able to expand their businesses. Consequently, they can make more sales and improve their living standards.

The leader of this group is 45-year-old Henry B. Tholley. Henry, who was born in Masugbi village, is married to a businesswoman and they have 5 children. Henry makes a living through the selling of used clothes. He has been selling used clothes for 15 years now. With his share of this loan, Henry will travel to Freetown and buy a bale of used clothes. A bale will cost him SLL 950,000.