The latest KIVA loans come courtesy of first month subscription payments from M. Siegel and J. Mercer . If you are interested in contributing please subscribe to my newsletter using the [Subscribe] button under the header. Allow 24 hours to set up site access and add your name to the email distribution list. The first loan goes to Amidu Jalloh: Amidu is 54 years old and married, with 19 children. He is an accomplished and experienced tailor, but he lacks the capital to purchase enough supplies to allow him to meet customer demand. He learned tailoring 10 years ago and has been sewing clothes ever since, especially for women in Makup Bana village. His service is very vital and saves women from travelling long distances to Makeni town to seek sewing services. Amidu would like to expand his business and is requesting a loan of approximately $700 US to purchase more cotton material, buttons, and other supplies for this purpose. The second is to Abdul Kargbo: Abdul Kargbo is 39 years old...

Another round of payoffs have freed up some funds for new loans from prior subscriber contributions. I have two new loans to make to bring the total of loans offered to 50 ! You can see where this money has been allocated and it is all thanks to the support of my subscribers. The first loan is to the Stage Hera Kende Self-Help Group Solomon has been in the business of buying second-hand clothing in bulk and retailing the same. He is married with 4 children who are all school-going. He buys the clothes in bulk from Nairobi and transports them to Kisumu for retailing. He has been in this business for over 5 years now. One of his primary motivations for choosing this business is because of the readily available market due to the high poverty levels in Kisumu town. He buys his stock every 2 weeks and sells the clothing not only in Kisumu Town but also in neighboring markets on the outskirts of Kisumu. He goes to these markets on their specific market days. The post-election violence in Ki...

I would like to thank Larry of MrSwing.com for the first purchase of my Scratchback link service. As is customary, I have allocated his payment to the Mashari Fahari Yetu Group on KIVA.org. This brings the number of KIVA loans made to 48 . Mashari H. Rutindi, age 27, is single and has two children (ages 4 and 1). She has a pharmacy which she began 4 years ago. She works from 8.30 am to 9pm daily and is able to make a monthly profit of about US$173. In the past, Mashari has taken out one previous loan with Tujijenge Tanzania to buy more medicine. She hopes for a new loan to increase the size of her business and to start selling cosmetics. Mashari will share this loan with her subgroup members dealing in selling pharmacy, clothes and cosmetics. In the picture Mashari is 2nd from left in a green blouse Scratchback is a great way to promote your site or blog on my blog, and the money is put to good use helping somebody else. Get a link today.

The latest loan came courtesy of R. Harmsen's new membership. I have allocated the money to a group of 6 entrepreneurs in Tanzania. Elizabeth, age 32, is married and owns a video library where she works from 8am to 7pm daily. She started this business in 2007 and now makes a monthly profit of about $180 from her rentals. Elizabeth now hopes for a loan to increase her video stock. She will share this loan with her subgroup. They belong to the loan group called Kipunguni, whose members keep each other accountable in paying back their loans. In the picture, Elizabeth is 1st on the right ,standing In addition, there is $50 to redistribute to new loans: First up is Santos Mariena Cadena: Mr. Santos Mairena is dedicated to the business of planting and harvesting basic grains in the Somotillo township of Chinandega, Nicaragua. He has been working in the agricultural business since he was a child, learning from his father, who was always characterized as being an excellent field worker. C...

Recycling repayments from loans back into the system. This way, membership subscriptions will continue to support new business opportunities long after the initial $25 contribution. If you would like to help, please subscribe to my newsletter and your first month payment (after the 30-day free trial has expired) will be routed to a KIVA project of your choice. The three new loans are as follows: [1] Nansana 7/8 2037 (C) Group : Betty is a widow with five children. She sells fresh food in the market. She wants to pay school fees for the children and buy food with the business profits. [2] Leonarda Laura Sulca's Group : Leonarda, Petronila, and Ana Maria have been members of the community bank Arco Iris for 6, 3, and 5 years respectively. In their community bank they have learned to be punctual and responsible, to save, to run their business, to avoid getting sick, and to respect other people. Leonarda is 36 years old. She is married and has three children, who are 13, 10, and 8. Sh...

The latest two loans come courtesy of Charles Kirk of the informative The Kirk Report . This brings to the total number of project contributions up to 41 . The first project is for a restaurant startup in Tanzania: Jamila Mohamed and Mariam Rajab Chande are two entrepreneurs who do their business jointly. Jamila runs a restaurant and, at the same time, makes Kanga (a type of local attire made by tie and die). Mariam runs both a restaurant and a ladies' beauty salon in the Buguruni area. They have been involved in their respective businesses for the past six years, and are now asking for a loan of US$400 each to expand their business. The second project is for a fish salesman in Sierra Leone Unisa is 39 years old and married with two children. He sells fresh fish in the town of Magburaka in Sierra Leone. With his savings and a previous loan, he rented a small cold room where fish can be kept fresh. He sells the fish both retail and wholesale. His plan is to be the sole distributor o...

Two new KIVA loans made possible by KIVA borrower repayments. The first goes to a group of women in Guatemala (I think this is the first time I have seen a group loan effort): The clients of the ComUnity (the term used by Friendship Bridge for their communal banks) Chikuwa have an astute and patient attitude, a combination that helps them to be the great business women that they currently are. The clients of ComUnity Chikuwa are models of micro-entrepreneurial women. Several members of the group started selling huipiles (traditional Guatamalan dresses) and shoes in the streets of San Juan la Laguna, Sololá. However, with their current loan many of them have become successful business owners. For example, Susan Ujpán now has ten artisans working for her during the high season such as Christmas. Clara Perez is a micro-entrepreneur who began with a small business raising animals and who is now buying 100 chickens per month in order to fatten them and resell them 21 days later. Cecilia Uj...