A Message from the Missions Committee
We want to let you all know about Kiva, a wonderful non-profit that is doing great things.
Kiva lets you connect with individuals to make loans as small as $25 to low-income entrepreneurs in the developing world (micro-finance.) By doing so, individuals like you provide affordable working capital for the poor (money to buy a sewing machine, livestock, etc.), empowering them to earn their way out of poverty. By choosing a loan on Kiva, you can sponsor a business and help the world's working poor make great strides towards economic independence. Throughout the course of the loan (usually 6-12 months), you can receive email journal updates from the entrepreneur you've sponsored. As loans are repaid, you get your loan money back.
It's a new, direct and sustainable way to fight global poverty by helping someone build a future, and that’s a much higher return on $25 than the interest a checking account pays.
Please check out the website: http://kiva.org. They have received great press in publications ranging from The Wall Street Journal to NPR to BusinessWeek.
The Missions Committee has chosen a couple of entrepreneurs for our church to focus on so that we can see those individuals reach their loan number. See the easel board in the lobby for
information about these people and their business goals.
Dates to watch for: Loan contributions April 13th and 20th
Need more info? Your Mission Committee contacts for Kiva are:
Cheryl Kelly
Toni Avery
Linda Wells
Missions to Mexico - 2007