Comunity At Work For Community

I ran across this site called Kiva. It purpose seems to be around collecting micro loans from many people and then a set of members will discuss each loan and decide if they will issue it. They then track it's progress and document including filming the person or business they lent the money to.

The thing about this lending institute is they operate with small independent people such as farmers and such in various places where these people only need loans of as small as $25.00 to get them started in business and they repay the loans. It gives them a chance most institutes won't give them. Living on an island in a fairly small community such as Maui, where every time you turn around there is another For Sale or For Rent sign on a recently vacated business, it's easy to see how hard it is for the Small Business to stay in Business, let alone create a new business. I've embedded a video from their site and it might explain it better. I have to run off to my job now anyways.

A side note, Maui's AKAKU public cable access television studios is holding a meeting next Tuesday, March 16th to discuss renting out extra rooms of their office space for Small Businesses or Non-Profits and are even looking at a shared use basis. Some interesting arrangements could be made and developed that night. For more on that go to AKAKU.


A Fistful Of Dollars: The Story of a Kiva.org Loan from Kieran Ball on Vimeo.