Jason Bedell Online

Interview with Jessica Jackley, founder of KIVA

KIVA is a micro-lending initiative to help individuals world-wide start businesses, get rolling, give back to the community, and pay back their loans... so they can re-invest again. It's an amazing concept and it is obviously working according to the stories of people who have been touched by this. Check out this video on how KIVA works:


Here are some of the notes I took during her interview with Reggie Joiner:

• Jessica spent some time really trying to gain a clearer perspective on our world and helping people in need
• Normally the situation for giving in many organizations is to give to a hurting need and out of pain. Watching the hurt and (in the nicest way possible) throwing money at it.
  
• Kiva strives to move in a different direction
• Compassion is part of these situations when we look at them and a larger part of that is guilt. Guilt for the situation we live in as compared to how they live
• But the problem kept raising questions in her soul...
  
• What is my personal role in all of this?
• Tried out multiple different serving opportunities, but something wasn't filling this compassion for people who need something more.
  
• Micro Finance, lending for the poor. All of these are built for the needs of someone living on a few dollars a day.
• It was about trying to encounter business entrepreneurs who are trying to build businesses from the ground up
• As you help them, you build up a livelihood for the community
• They already have amazing stories, why can’t we lend a few hundred dollars to get them to the next level? Let’s help them help their communities.
• Went from 7 to 50,000 to 1,000,000 to 100,000,000 in less than four years. Insane.
• KIVA basically works with the banks for the poor (Micro Financiers).
• Work by posting people who need loans, profiles of everyone, people browse, lend money, get updates, get paid back so they can lend again.
• It’s interesting to watch how people view KIVA over the course of it’s life, but the money moving back and forth is a tool. To help people and to bring lenders to a new place of understanding.