Kiva Loans

Cristina : United States

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:40:20 PST

$9,900 of $10,000 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 20, 2009

Cristina started her day care business 6 years ago after working at an electronics factory in Fremont for eighteen years. When she suddenly lost her job, she decided to take early-education classes to prepare her for opening a daycare. Cristina started her daycare business in her living room with a few toys and two children. She now takes care of fourteen children and works hard to stay up-to-date on child care information by regularly attending training. She is thankful that despite the economy, parents are still able to keep their children in her daycare. Cristina needs $10,000 to replace uneven cement in her outdoor play area to make it safer for the children in her care. She also wants to replace the fence in her backyard. A loan from Opportunity Fund will allow her to do this without placing a burden on her family’s personal finances. Cristina has been unable to get a loan from a bank in the past and finds it a stressful process. This will be her second loan from Opportunity Fund, and she finds the support of micro-lending services almost too good to be true.

Mariam Najajrah : Palestine

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:40:12 PST

$2,725 of $3,000 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 21, 2009

Mariam is living in Nahaleen Village near Bethlehem. She has six children all of whom are in school. Her husband works as a daily worker in construction. Six years ago Mariam decided to start selling candy out of her house for the children. After six years of hard work and using the income she was able to open a shop in the village where she sells canned and frozen food, candy, ice cream, rice and toilet paper. Mariam’s shop became a very important source of income for her family, She approached FATEN for a loan of 3,000 USD to buy new goods, candy and children’s games. She needs the loan since Eid Al-Adha (a Muslem feast) is next week so she wants to buy these goods to meet the expected high demand. Mariam appears in the photo at her shop.

Biyinzika Women's Group Of Lugazi : Uganda

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:20:15 PST

$350 of $3,225 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 21, 2009

Prossy Babinye is 32 years old and the leader of her group in Lugazi. She is married and cares for her two children and her elderly parents. Prossy is a farmer who sells her crops at the Kikawula Trading Center, the central market in town. She has been in the business for one year and has learned a tremendous amount from the experience. Customers would sometimes not pay for her produce on time, making it difficult for her to operate, but now she requires all payment up front. She would like to use the loan to inject more capital into her business to insure a steady supply of goods for her customers. With continued hard work and determination, she hopes to one day be able to educate all her children and build her family a modern home.

Hondohondo Group : Tanzania

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:50:14 PST

$925 of $4,400 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 21, 2009

Rizki Mwalimu is married but doesn't have children – "yet", he stresses! He currently owns a mitumba shop selling secondhand clothing, shoes, handbags, etc. He started this business in 2006 and makes a monthly profit of about $120 which he uses to support himself and his wife. He keeps his shop in the Kiwalani district of Dar es Salaam. It is open from 8:30 am to 10:00 pm daily. This is Rizki's first loan from Tujijenge Tanzania. He wants to use his loan to increase his stock and he hopes to invest in better quality used clothing and accessories.

In the picture, Rizki is on the far left wearing a white shirt. Rizki will share this loan with the members of his group, "Hondohondo". The members of the group will hold each other accountable for paying back their loans.

Arcoiris Group : Bolivia

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:10:14 PST

$1,650 of $3,500 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 19, 2009

The “Arco Iris II” group is led by Durvin Gabriela and is made up of 17 members who engage in a variety of commercial activities like the sale of sand, cosmetics and perfumes, general stores, brake relining, food preparation, carpentry, clothing and footwear, grocery store, seamstress, and a motorcycle repair shop. There is a great deal of competition in the market but they are aware that if supply is great then they either have to diversify their product offerings or move their stands to other places like the neighborhood flea markets. The funds requested will be used to buy merchandise that will allow for diversification, to buy raw materials so that they can sell wholesale, and to buy work tools which will help them generate higher profits and better product quality. As far as their credit history goes, the members of this group have experience working with communal banks and know the operational methodologies so they are able to administer their funds well to get the greatest benefits from them thereby providing their families with a better quality of life.

Translated from Spanish by Michael Bujazan, Kiva Volunteer

Bihanga Ii Group, Ibanda : Uganda

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 09:00:15 PST

$3,625 of $4,950 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 21, 2009

Kesafari Scorastica is a very determined and hardworking lady. She is the leader of her lending group in Ibanda. She is 32 years old and married with 5 children, all of whom are in school. Kesafari works with her husband to make sure that their school fees are cleared. Kesafari has been a farmer in the Bihanga trading centre for 12 years now. So far she has been able to make some reasonable profits that have enabled her to increase on her farm size. Her success stems from the fact that she uses manure and fertilizer to ensure that she is selling high quality products. Kesafari's goal, ultimately, is to have a very large farm that will allow for increased output. Kesafari works very hard to give her children a good education. Consequently, she would like to borrow money, with which she will buy more farm inputs.

Khuon Phoeun : Cambodia

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:40:14 PST

$300 of $1,000 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 12, 2009

Khuon Phoeun, 30, is married and lives with her husband in the Takeo province. She is a garment factory worker who is able to make US$3.30 each day, while her husband is a construction worker and typically makes US$4 a day. This couple has two school-aged children. Khuon Phoeun is asking for a loan of US$1000 as her husband needs to purchase a motorbike to commute to work.

Ruyonza Ii Tukore Group, Ibanda : Uganda

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:00:13 PST

$1,875 of $4,475 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 20, 2009

Irene Busingye is the leader of her lending group in Ibanda. She is 39 years old and married with children who attend school. Irene is a hardworking lady in the business of selling produce at the Ruyonza trading centre. Irene sells produce from both her own farm and from various farmers in her locality, depending on the quality. Since she started taking out loans, she has been able to earn 300,000 in monthly profits thanks to the loyalty of her customers. Her goal is to expand her business and to have a happy and healthy family. She needs a loan to help add more stock to her business to avoid shortages.

041 Quảng Hưng Group : Viet Nam

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:40:06 PST

$1,250 of $1,350 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 20, 2009

Chung Vũ Kim (83) is a 37-year-old female living in the town of Thanh Hoá. Chung is the group leader of a 4-member group loan offered by Thanh Hoa Fund for Poor Women. While each member of the group receives an individual loan, they all are responsible for paying back the loans of their fellow group members if someone is delinquent or defaults. The official name of this borrowing group is 041 (041 Quảng Hưng). Chung is married and has one school-aged child. To making a living, Chung is starting a business venture in the agriculture sector raising livestock. While not the only means for generating revenue, the main source of income for the business comes from raising cattle for sale. Chung has been engaged in this business for over one year and earns approximately 1.500.000 VND a month from these activities. In 2007, Chung joined Thanh Hoa Fund for Poor Women to gain access to financial services to help improve her living situation and ability to engage in business activities. Chung successfully repaid a previous loan of 2.761.200 VND from Thanh Hoa Fund for Poor Women. This previous loan was used to purchase baby livestock to raise and sell in the future. She is now requesting a new loan of 6.000.000 VND, which will be used to purchase more baby livestock to raise and sell. The loan will be the fifth loan taken out by the borrower from Thanh Hoa Fund for Poor Women. Chung plans to use the additional revenue generated from the business to improve the general living conditions of her family. About the other borrowers in the group: 1. Hoàng Thị Hoa (63) is a 29-year-old female who is requesting a 6.000.000 VND loan to support her business in the agriculture sector raising livestock. 2. Đỗ Thị Dương (77) is a 55-year-old female who is requesting a 6.000.000 VND loan to support her business in the agriculture sector raising livestock. 3. Lê Thị Đảm (78) is a 53-year-old female who is requesting a 6.000.000 VND loan to support her business in the food sector running a food stall. About Thanh Hoa Fund for Poor Women The mission of Fund for Thanh Hoa Poor Women (FPW) is to provide sustainable financial services to disadvantaged women in rural areas in the Thanh Hoa province. *Note: To maximize efficiency and reduce costs, this loan was posted using a template to automate the translation by Kiva. Given that manual translation of entrepreneur profiles is costly, Kiva created this template for our Field Partner to allow them to continue to post loans in Vietnamese while providing quality and accurate information to Kiva lenders. Chung Vũ Kim (83) là 37 tuổi nữ. Cô ấy sống ở thành phố Thanh Hoá. Chung là trưởng nhóm của nhóm vay gồm có 4 các thành viên. Mặc dù mỗi thành viên trong nhóm nhận được từng khoản vay cá nhân, nhưng tất cả họ đều chịu trách nhiệm hoàn trả lại khoản vay của các thành viên trong nhóm của mình nếu một người nào đó trễ hạn hay không trả được nợ.. Tên chính thức của nhóm vay này là 041 (041 Quảng Hưng). Trong khi không phải chỉ có các phương thức tạo nên thu nhập, mà nguồn thu nhập chính của công việc kinh doanh chủ yếu từ chăn nuôi gia súc để bán. Chung thực hiện công việc kinh doanh này trong hơn 1 năm. Từ các hoạt động này, Chung kiếm được khoảng 1.500.000 VND. Vào 2007, Chung đã tham gia Thanh Hoa Fund for Poor Women để có thể tiếp cận với các dịch vụ tài chính giúp cải thiện sinh hoạt và khả năng tham gia vào các hoạt động kinh doanh của cô ấy/ anh ấy. Chung đã hoàn trả hết khoản vay trước đây là 2.761.200 VND từ Thanh Hoa Fund for Poor Women. Khoản vay trước đây được sử dụng mua gia súc còn nhỏ để nuôi & bán sau này. Cô ấy hiện đang đề nghị một khoản vay mới là 6.000.000 VND. Khoản vay sẽ là 5th khoản vay của người vay từ Thanh Hoa Fund for Poor Women. Về Những Người vay khác trong Nhóm: 1. Hoàng Thị Hoa (63) là 29 tuổi nữ. Cô ấy đề nghị khoản vay là 6.000.000 VND. Khoản vay này sẽ được sử dụng để hỗ trợ công việc kinh doanh trong lĩnh vực nông nghiệp. Mục đích chính của việc kinh doanh là chăn nuôi gia súc. 2. Đỗ Thị Dương (77) là 55 tuổi nữ. Cô ấy đề nghị khoản vay là 6.000.000 VND. Khoản vay này sẽ được sử dụng để hỗ trợ công việc kinh doanh trong lĩnh vực nông nghiệp. Mục đích chính của việc kinh doanh là chăn nuôi gia súc. 3. Lê Thị Đảm (78) là 53 tuổi nữ. Cô ấy đề nghị khoản vay là 6.000.000 VND. Khoản vay này sẽ được sử dụng để hỗ trợ công việc kinh doanh trong lĩnh vực thực phẩm. Mục đích chính của việc kinh doanh là buôn bán quầy thực phẩm. Về Thanh Hoa Fund for Poor Women: Nhiệm vụ của Quỹ vì Phụ Nữ Nghèo Thanh Hóa (FPW) là cung cấp các dịch vụ tài chính bền vững cho những người phụ nữ kém may mắn ở các vùng nông thôn tỉnh Thanh Hóa. *Lưu ý: Để phát huy tối đa hiệu quả & giảm chi phí, khoản vay này đã được thông báo bằng biểu mẫu để có thể được Kiva tự động biên dịch. . Do việc biên dịch thủ công các danh mục rất tốn kém, nên Kiva đã tạo biểu mẫu này cho phần Field Partner (Trường Đối Tác) cho phép họ tiếp tục thông báo các khoản vay bằng Vietnamese trong khi cung cấp thông tin có chất lượng & chính xác cho người cho vay Kiva. ."

Altiplano Group : Bolivia

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:00:24 PDT

$1,800 of $3,225 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 1, 2009

The village bank, "Altiplano" meets at a regional office called Villa Tejada. They are a very nice group that in addition to working together in Pro-Mujer's system, they have formed lovely friendships within the group.

Currently there are a variety of activities in which this bank works. For example, Isabel has been making corn breads for the last six years and peddling them. Justina sells a variety of fruits and Leonora sells potatoes and chuño, or dehydrated potatoes. Yolanda makes fabric for blankets and Katty has a book stall. Fabiola bakes bread and makes food. They say they need more capital to buy supplies and a variety of products like flour, sugar, fruit and other items.

Translated from Spanish by Sierra Visher, Kiva Volunteer

Tha Navy : Cambodia

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:40:08 PST

$250 of $1,000 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 12, 2009

Tha Navy is 29 years old and lives in Takeo province with her husband and two young children. She is a garment factory worker and is able to make about US$1.50 each day, while her husband, pictured here, has a business making rice wine. On average, he makes US$2 per day. Than Navy is asking for a loan of US$1000 so that her husband can reinvest in rice wine business.

Pom Bopha : Cambodia

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:10:12 PST

$250 of $1,000 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 11, 2009

Pom Bopha, 20, is married and lives with her young child in Takeo province. She makes rice wine and raises pigs, making around US$10 in revenue each day, while her husband works as a moto-taxi driver. Her husband makes about US$4 each day, however they must also support her mother at home. Food prices have soared in the past year as inflation has gotten out of control in Cambodia. Unfavorable climate conditions have also been a factor in making the price of rice very high. Pom Bopha is asking for a loan of US$1000 to purchase more rice to make rice wine and raise pigs. She is confident that this will be a good business venture and sees it as a tool to increase her income and raise her family’s standard of living.

Anonymous : Iraq

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:40:11 PST

$1,925 of $2,500 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 21, 2009

This borrower is 44 years old and is the father of two children. He has sixteen years experience in carpentry and established this shop six years ago. He works by customer request and works as a contractor. The purpose behind this loan is to purchase tools and wood to raise his income as well as to expand his shop.

Hayfa'a Horoub : Palestine

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:30:13 PST

$1,050 of $3,000 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 21, 2009

Hayfa'a is married with seven members in her family. She is a teacher in a public school and after work she helps her husband in managing their businesses. Hayfa'a and her husband have a small grocery store and they also raise goats which they sell and also sell milk from them. Her husband used to work as a daily worker in Israel but because of the closure it became very hard for him to get there so they started these two businesses in addition to her work as a teacher. This is Hayfa'a’s second loan from FATEN. For her first loan she took 3,000 USD and repaid it on time. Now she needs another 3,000 USD to buy feed for the goats and some products for the grocery store. Hayfa'a’s husband appears in the photo with the sheep and goats.

Melik Hayrapetyan : Armenia

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:20:15 PST

$1,575 of $2,850 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 20, 2009

Melik Hayrapetyan is 60 and lives in Kaghnut village in the Kapan area. He is married and has three sons. His wife works at a chemist's shop (pharmacy) as a pharmaceutist. All of Melik’s sons are employees and one of them lives in a separate house with his family. Melik works as a brigade-leader in an organization where he repairs factory equipment. At the same time, he has land where he grows grain. During sowing and harvest time, working hours last about twelve hours a day. Also, because he hasn’t got his own agricultural equipment, he has to wait till the other farmers’ equipment is free in order to rent it. So, Melik needs a 1,100,000 AMD loan to buy a plough and separator to cut down his expenses and to use his time more rationally.

Keep Project Of Central Group : Uganda

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:40:16 PST

$675 of $2,325 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 19, 2009

Suzan Nampala 26, is the leader of her lending group in Bunamwaya. She is a very self-motivated and hard working lady. She has a cosmetics business that she has been running for two years. She is married with 2 children aged 6 years and 2 and a half years, and she also takes care of 3 dependants. From her business, Suzan is able to make a profit each week and she attributes this to the good customer care she delivers. Her dream is to develop her cosmetics shop further, as well as continue being a good citizen in her community. Suzan is seeking her second loan from her lending group and she hopes to use it to increase the stock in her business for more profits.

White Group : Tanzania

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:10:19 PST

$1,750 of $1,825 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 21, 2009

Methew Andrew, age 35, is married with two children, ages 11 and 9. He also cares for his younger brother's son, who is 12. He has had a general store since 2001. He works daily from 6:30 am until 11 pm, making a monthly profit of about $267.

This will be Methew's 1st loan from Tujijenge Tanzania. He will use this loan to increase the stock of his general store, buying more items like sugar, wheat, flour, cooking oil, mosquito sprays, and fabrics.

Methew will share this loan with subgroup D of the White group. The subgroup has seven members, who run groceries, general stores like Methew's, and work as food vendors. These members will hold each other accountable for paying back their loans. In the picture, Methew is the first on the left.

Abena : Ghana

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 17:50:13 PST

$200 of $700 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 21, 2009

Abena is a local supplier of palm fruits and palm oil. She is also a petty trader selling in the community market square. She sells items like cooking oil, pepper, spices, smoked fishes, etc. on a tabletop in the market. She gets stock from the Kumasi Central Market which is in a nearby city and vegetables from the surrounding communities.

Palm oil is produced from palm nuts fruit. The palm fruit is processed through various stages to obtain palm oil which is used to prepare many local dishes like fried fish and pastries as well as local soaps. Abena supplies palm oil to food vendors to prepare their meals. However, her production is on the low side as a result of low working capital to buy stock in bulk. She wants to use this loan to buy more bags of palm fruits and other foodstuffs.

Abena is 38 years old, married and the mother of three children. One of her children attends school but she could not send the others to school; they are now learning a trade. She would be grateful for your assistance.

Thelma Vincoy : Philippines

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:00:16 PST

$100 of $175 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 21, 2009

Thelma, 33, is married to Anthony Vincoy, who is an employee of hypermarket at Cauayan City. They are blessed with three children: Mary Jane, 11 years old and a grade six student, Christine, eight years old and a grade three student, and Bea, seven years old and a grade one student. The family resides in the village of Calaocan, Cabatuan, Isabela. Their house is located near the Elementary School and national highway. Thelma has been in the business of hog raising for almost six years. When she disposes of one hog, her net income is 5,000 PHP. She's asking for a loan amounting to 8,000 PHP from lenders to strengthen her business in order to improve her family's quality of life and to obtain her desired profits. She hopes that lenders will grant her loan, because she then will be able to use her income for their daily needs as well as for the education of her children. She plans to buy stock of feed for her raised animals. Aside from that, she also wants to purchase some hogs.

Monica Agbonlahor : Nigeria

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:20:15 PST

$75 of $475 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 21, 2009

Monica sells used clothes at retail prices to her customers. She has been in this business for a long time. She hopes to own a boutique in the future. She is hard working woman who is determined to excel in her business and family life. She hopes for a loan amount of 70,000 NGN to purchase more used clothes to sell. She is 43 years old and married with four children. She hopes to give her children a quality education. She is indeed grateful to all Kiva lenders.

Twesige Group, Kayunga : Uganda

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:40:14 PST

$50 of $4,700 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 21, 2009

John Ntulume is the leader of his lending group in Kayunga. He is 30 years old and married with 3 children aged 10, 4, and 2. He takes care of 3 dependants. All of John’s children are in school.

He has a video store in Jinja, Aldina Road that has been operating for 5 years. He has all kinds of movies in stock and rents them out to home users and video halls. He is able to make 80,000 UGX of income per week. He succeeds by ensuring that he always stocks recent movies and by making music CDs and DVDs for his customers.

In the future, John strives to expand his business by opening other branches and hopes to build a house and educate his children. He needs a loan to buy new equipment, like a computer, to provide better service. He is grateful that the loans boost his business.

Philomena Osawe : Nigeria

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:30:14 PST

$50 of $475 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 21, 2009

Philomena sells groceries, drinks and foodstuffs at retail prices to her customers. This is the high season for her business, and she hopes to make more profits this season. She is 46 years old and married with 10 children. Her children are in primary and secondary schools and they are doing well. With this combined businesses, she is able to put food on her table to feed her immediate family members. She hopes for a loan amount of 70,000 NGN to purchase more groceries, drinks and foodstuffs to sell. She says thanks to all Kiva lenders.

Santos Yac Joj's Group : Guatemala

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:50:14 PST

$175 of $1,475 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 21, 2009

The six-person group has reached out to Kiva partner Asociación ASDIR to seek help in obtaining working capital. To advance financially, they buy and sell traditional clothing, an activity their ancestors had undertaken before them. They want to have better opportunities and quality of life in order to help their children have an education. Their biggest wish is to see their children graduate and pursue a profession. The group is asking for help to buy more products so that they can sell more.

Translated from Spanish by Violeta Rubiani, Kiva Volunteer

Beatrice Auma : Kenya

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 10:10:14 PST

$350 of $675 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 21, 2009

Beatrice is a 40-year-old single mother of two teenage boys. She has run the Brown Skin Beauty Clinic since 2004 in the Kayole area of Nairobi. She offers manicures, pedicures, and hairdressing for men and women. Beatrice employs one person and she describes herself as very successful. Beatrice has requested a loan of Kes. 50,000 through Kiva's field partner, Faulu, to add stock to the salon. Beatrice says that she has developed her business from very humble beginnings. She dreams of expanding into more businesses in the future.

Blásida Meza : Paraguay

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:50:15 PST

$300 of $625 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 21, 2009

Blásida is 21 years old and is married to Cirilo, who is 20 years old. She lives in Ita, where she has been a professional saleswoman at a pantry for more than two years. She works to improve the quality of life for her family. She hopes to expand her business and increase her income to sustain her family. Blásida plans to use the loan to invest in her business by purchasing milk, candy, meat, noodles, beer, soft drinks, sausages, vegetables and others products. “These products would help me improve the products I can offer by having greater variety and getting a better flow of customers, “ says Blásida. She is grateful for the opportunity to have access to a loan, because it will increase her merchandise sales and thus increase her income for the welfare of her entire family.

Philomène Agbozezoun : Benin

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 12:00:14 PST

$200 of $350 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 21, 2009

AGBOZEZOUN Philomène was born in 1966 in Djidja, a village in Benin. Married to AKOUTE Nicolas, she is the mother of four children who are all in school. Only one of these children is in her care. For about eight years, she has been living with her children and husband in the Vêdoko district in Cotonou, the economic capital of Benin. Nicolas alone ensures that family expenses are covered. Early on, Philomène dropped out of school. For 22 years, she has been working at sewing as a trade. Aside from this, she sells fabrics in her workshop located in Zogbo, a district in Cotonou. She is a previous ALIDé client who has already had four loans, which have been repaid. To expand her business more and to satisfy her customers further, she's requesting a fifth ALIDé loan. Her ambition is to acquire more efficient equipment for her sewing shop.

Translated from French by Dan Kuey, Kiva Volunteer

Maria : United States

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:10:14 PDT

$4,700 of $5,000 raised.

Started raising funds on Oct 29, 2009

Maria's home-based beauty supply retail business was started out of her desire to begin something on her own, proving to herself that she could succeed and earn money on her own. For five years, she has been testing the waters by selling skin care products in her native country, the Philippines. She now plans to start in the United States, since seeing that she has had success abroad.

In the Philippines, Maria's family manages her registered store, and she uses the income to support them. This business has been important for her family's well-being. In the past, they relied on her for remittances from the United States. They now feel empowered by being part of a business that they help to run.

Maria is ambitious and very determined. She wants to sell her products around the world, but plans to start in the U.S. The products she currently sells are new to the market, and she has been testing them out with her customers for two years, putting a lot of time into skin care product education.

Lili Gonzales Sandoval : Peru

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:00:59 PDT

$250 of $525 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 1, 2009

Lili is a hard-working and active member. She lives in the city of Pucallpa in the region of Ucayali. She is 48 years old and is mother to six children, of whom four are adults. She is a single mother who works hard to get ahead and provide a better future for her children. Lili is dedicated to selling drinks and candy, an activity that she conducts from her home. She has been a member of "Las Solteritas" (The Single Ladies) Community Bank for five years. The first loan that she obtained was for 300 soles which she used for the purchase of candy to sell in her home. Now, Lili needs a loan of 1,500 soles which will be used to purchase merchandise such as clothing and shoes to sell from her home. Lili's goal is to have a shop selling all types of items for the home.

Translated from Spanish by Kate Divjak, Kiva Volunteer

Virgilita Ramillete : Philippines

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:01:04 PDT

$375 of $425 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 1, 2009

Virgilita Ramillete is from the village of Libertad Alto, Sinacaban, Misamis Occidental. She is 62 years old, is married, and has six adult children. Virgilita owns and operates a general store, selling daily-use products such as shampoo, soap and toothpaste in the local community. She has been engaged in her business for over thirty-one years and earns approximately 3,600 PHP a month. In 2005, Virgilita joined PMPC to gain access to financial services to help improve her living situation and her ability to engage in business activities. She has successfully repaid a previous loan of 14,900 PHP from PMPC. This previous loan was used to to purchase additional products to sell. Virgilita is requesting a new loan of 20,000 PHP which will be used to purchase additional inventory and used as working capital. This loan will be her 8th from PMPC. She plans to use the additional revenue generated from the business to save as a reserve for future emergencies. About PMPC: Paglaum Multi-Purpose Cooperative (PMPC) is one of the most progressive cooperatives in northwestern Mindanao. It reaches out to the rural poor using the Grameen model. *Note: To maximize efficiency and reduce costs, this loan was posted using a template to automate the translation by Kiva. Given that manual translation of entrepreneur profiles is costly, Kiva created this template for our Field Partner to allow them to continue to post loans in English while providing quality and accurate information to Kiva lenders.

Mujeres Del Sol Group : Peru

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:20:14 PST

$200 of $2,425 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 5, 2009

Nelly Mercado Rodriguez is a typical entrepreneur that exists nowadays in our country. She is 38, in a common law marriage, and has six children. Two of the children are dependent upon her. They are two and four years old. She lives in the area of Alta Huaycan in the Ate district. She has been selling clothes as a street vendor for one year. She started this business with a previous loan she was given, which she used to buy merchandise. With the effort she puts into her work, Nelly has been able to educate her children and buy some things for the home. She has worked with Edaprospo-Prosperidad for two years. She is currently the president of her communal bank, Mujeres del Sol. The bank is comprised of 11 members who sell pastries, offer tailoring services and offer domestic services. Others give dance classes. The members have the desire to succeed, and they have future plans to set up a business. Nelly will use the loan she is given to buy merchandise. Her big dream is to set up a store to increase her income and have more customers. That way she could offer her family, who are most important to her, a better quality of life.

Translated from Spanish by Ginny Kalish, Kiva Volunteer

Magnolia Del Carmen Chota Ipushima : Peru

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:00:51 PDT

$225 of $525 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 1, 2009

Magnolia is a dynamic, hard-working, 44-year-old, mother of four children, three of whom are adults. She lives in the city of Pucallpa in the Ucayali region where, together with her husband, sells sandals in the local market. During the evening she sells prepared food from her home. She has been a member of the "Mujeres Virtuosas" communal bank for the last 8 years. Her first 300 sol loan was used to purchase soft drinks to sell. Now, she needs a 1500 sol loan which will be used to buy sandals at wholesale since she will travel to Lima to buy them there. Her goal is to have a store specializing in footwear, purses and accessories.

Translated from Spanish by Michael Bujazan, Kiva Volunteer

Hanna : Ghana

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 17:30:14 PST

$475 of $700 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 21, 2009

Hanna owns and operates a grocery store and sells items like rice, sugar, vegetable oil, bottled water, body and hair creams, skimmed powdered milk, etc. In addition to that, she also sells onions, spices and peppers on a tabletop. She is 40 years old and a wife with two children. Her husband is a trader. With her hard work, all her children are in school. She considers this a great opportunity to expand her business to include other items frequently demanded by her customers. She wants to use this loan to buy more bags of rice, bags of sugar, cartons of vegetable oil, boxes of body and hair creams, etc. to increase her inventory. She hopes to improve sales to enable her to save more for her children’s education.

Dia'a Awad : Palestine

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:10:13 PST

$1,475 of $2,000 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 21, 2009

Dia'a is a police officer in the Palestinian National Authority and has three children. Diaa's wife is studying in the university and Dia'a has requested a 2,000 USD loan from FATEN to pay his wife university tuition. Dia'a work is the only source of income for the family and is not enough to cover daily expenses. He hopes that after his wife finishes her degree she will help him by getting a job and consequently the family will have a better income to meet its daily expenses. Dia'a appears in the photo at the FATEN branch office.

Agya : Ghana

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:00:16 PST

$350 of $700 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 21, 2009

Agya is 35 years old. He is married with two children. Currently both his children are in school. He is a chemicals seller and sells various kinds of drugs like blood tonics, pain killers, malaria drugs, etc. in his neighborhood. He has been in business for nine years now and he is among the few people or licensed chemical shops who supply pharmaceutical products in the community. His chemical shop is registered and has the right to operate by Ghana pharmaceutical council.

Agya wants to use the loan to buy more supplies of drugs to include others that are frequently demanded by his customers. He hopes to make a good income to take care of his family. He would be grateful for your assistance.

Margaret : Ghana

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:50:13 PST

$250 of $700 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 21, 2009

Margaret is 49 years old. She is divorced and a mother with four children, who are currently in school. To support her household, she has been selling cereals like beans, maize and groundnut cereals in the community market to her loyal customers. She says selling of these products is very lucrative and with her 11 years of selling experience, she believes her dream could come true. She takes delivery of stock from Techiman in the Brong Ahafo region of Ghana. Therefore, she wants the loan to expand her inventory to enable her make good income to support her family, especially in their education. She would be grateful for your assistance.

Frank : Ghana

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 12:10:14 PST

$425 of $700 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 21, 2009

Frank is a 42-year old trader. He is married and the father of three children. All his children are currently in school. He has been struggling to provide the needs of his children's education and that has been his greatest challenge. In spite of that, he tries hard to provide for their education and pay all of his bills. Frank supports his family through the sale of used clothing and bed sheets. Frank has been in this business for the past ten years. In Ghana, brand new clothes are very expensive for the economically active poor, so used clothing and bed sheets have a very big market share. Frank usually concentrates on kids' wear, bed sheets and used towels. He travels to a nearby city called Kumasi to purchase his stock of goods. Frank wants to use this loan to buy more bales of used clothing to increase his inventory. He believes this loan would help him save for his children's future and also help him to rent a store to trade in, as right now he sells through hawking.

Maria Ugbai : Nigeria

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:40:15 PST

$375 of $675 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 21, 2009

Maria Ugbai is 54 years old. She is married and has seven children. Maria owns a poultry farm and a shop where she sells food stuffs. Maria has been in these businesses for some years. She manages these businesses to support her husband, who is a retired army officer. Maria is a LAPO client; she has been in LAPO for six years. Maria is requesting a loan amount of 100,000 Nigerian naira (NGN) in order to purchase more food stuffs and feed in bulk, as this attracts customers and increases her profit. With this, she hopes to increase her earnings in the long run and be able to better provide for her children's education.

Mercedes Ramona Sotelo Altamirano : Nicaragua

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 17:40:13 PST

$125 of $600 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 21, 2009

Mercedes is a teacher, but her business is the sale of gasoline and diesel fuel. The business began as a way to augment her income because she could not maintain her household on a teacher’s salary. Mercedes will use this loan to buy more fuel at a low price. Her loan will help her family to live a little more comfortably. She is married and has two children, ages 24 and 22. The 22-year-old is in her third year of university. Mercedes' hopes for the future include her daughter finishing her education and gaining more clients for her business. She reports that transportation is always a challenge.

Mavis : Ghana

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:20:13 PST

$175 of $700 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 21, 2009

Mavis is a 25-year-old married woman and the mother of two children. Currently, one of her children is in school, while her youngest child is too young to attend school. She lives in a community in the western region of Ghana.

To earn a living, she is a trader who deals assorted products such as cooking utensils, plastic bowls, lunch boxes, etc. She generally sells her goods through "hawking" (i.e., house-to-house selling). She explains that she has been trading for three years now. With her good humor and kind demeanor she has attracted many loyal customers who purchase goods from her stand. She treks to Kumasi to purchase her stock of goods. Recently, she added food sales during lunch time to her business operations. Specifically, she prepares and serves banku with tilapia. Banku, which is a delicacy prepared from milled maize and includes hot sauce or pepper, is enjoyed by many people of Ghana.

She has been facing challenges with her business as a result of inadequate funds, which precludes her from purchasing additional inventory. As a result, she is requesting a loan in the amount of $700 to buy more supplies of products that are frequently in high demand. With the loan proceeds she believes she will be better positioned to generate higher profits in order to, ultimately, build her own store (and thereby do away with the need to sell her products by "hawking"). She would be grateful for your assistance.

Bugaga Bagalaga Of Mukono Group : Uganda

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 10:00:16 PST

$375 of $650 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 21, 2009

Mayi Sserwadda is 35 years old and is the leader of her group in Mukono. She is married with three children who are all currently enrolled in school. Mayi has been running a business as a butcher for one year and attributes her success thus far to the clean meat she offers her customers. She would like to use her loan of 200,000 USH to buy more meat. With continued hard work and success Mayi one day hopes to transition from being a butcher to owning a retail operation.

John Kinyati : Kenya

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 18:20:12 PST

$75 of $675 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 21, 2009

John is married and has four children, between the ages of 10 and 22. He sells clothes and shoes in Gikomba Market and has one employee. He has been in business for fifteen years and has successfully completed two previous loans with Faulu. He is requesting a loan of 50,000 KES to purchase more inventory. In the future, John would like to expand his business and become a more prominent businessman. He describes himself as hardworking and says that he has learned how to keep records and provide customer care in Faulu, where he is his group's treasurer.

Evangeline Viagedor : Philippines

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 18:10:13 PST

$150 of $325 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 21, 2009

Evangeline Viagedor is from the village of Sto. Niño, Tukuran, Zamboanga del Sur. She is 37 years old. Evangeline is married and has two school-aged children. To make a living, Evangeline owns and operates a business selling seafood products, including fish and shrimp, in the local community. Evangeline has been engaged in her business for over thirteen years and earns approximately $173 a month from these activities. In 2008, Evangeline joined GDMPC to gain access to financial services to help improve her living situation and her ability to engage in business activities. Evangeline has successfully repaid a previous loan of 10,000 PHP from GDMPC. This previous loan was used to purchase additional fish to sell. Evangeline is requesting a new loan of 15,000 PHP which will be used to invest in expanding her business. This will be her 4th loan from GDMPC. She plans to use the additional revenue generated from the business to improve the general living conditions of her family and to pay tuition for her two children. About GDMPC: GDMPC is one of the most progressive cooperatives in Mindanao, Philippines. *Note: To maximize efficiency and reduce costs, this loan was posted using a template to automate the translation by Kiva. Given that manual translation of entrepreneur profiles is costly, Kiva created this template for our Field Partner to allow them to continue to post loans in English while providing quality and accurate information to Kiva lenders.

Joseph : Ghana

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 17:20:13 PST

$100 of $700 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 21, 2009

Joseph is a supplier of building cement. He takes delivery of stock from Takoradi in the Western Region of Ghana. He serves as a wholesaler and retailer to the surrounding communities. Joseph is 45 years old, married and the father of four children. All his children are in school in the community where they live. He requests loan assistance to buy cement in bulk to limit his frequent traveling. With support, he will be adequately resourced for business expansion.

Mary : Ghana

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 12:50:16 PST

$225 of $700 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 21, 2009

Mary is a food vendor. She sells fried yam and raw yam by the road in Juaboso, where she lives in the western region of Ghana. She fries the yam and arranges it in a glass showcase to attract customers to buy. Fried yam is enjoyed with hot pepper in the mornings, afternoons and evenings. Mary is 30 years old, married and the mother of a child who is currently in school. She works hard to support her husband so that they can take care of the home. Mary travels to Techiman to buy her stock of goods (especially the yam). She does this to prevent intermediaries from selling to her at higher prices. She is requesting this loan so she can buy stock in bulk and reduce frequent traveling.

Marissa Duque : Philippines

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:00:15 PST

$50 of $250 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 21, 2009

Marissa Duque, 46. is married to Arsenio Duque and blessed with six children. Three are already married and three are single. They reside together at the village of Calaocan, Cabatuan, Isabela. Their house is situated near the Baranggay Health Center.

Marissa is engaged in hog-raising for almost 20 years. Every time she disposes of one hog she earns a net income of 5000 PHP. She works hard to increase her income and to strengthen her business.

Marissa decided to request a loan of 11,000 PHP from Kiva lenders to purchase hog feed and some hogs to raise. She wants to expand her pig pens to earn more income for the schooling of her children.

Arayik Manukyan : Armenia

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 09:00:15 PST

$325 of $2,075 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 21, 2009

Arayik Manukyan is 27 years old and lives in Sevan. His specialty is being a service organizer in hotels and tourism complexes, but because of his living conditions he has never worked in this sphere. He worked as a shop assistant in a food market, then he had a shop where he sold mixed products, and a year ago he opened a butcher shop. Every month Arayik has approximately $415 in income from which he pays $104 for shop rental.

Arayik lives with his parents. His mother is jobless and his father helps Arayik in his business. Arayik supports his family, thanks to the income from his business which he hopes to expand in the future.

Arayik wants to receive a loan of 800.000 AMD to buy 6-8 calves to raise and sell.

Jesusa : Peru

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:10:13 PST

$350 of $700 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 21, 2009

Jesusa, 34, lives with her life partner and the father of her three children in her own house. She previously worked with the children of her village in a governmental educational program. But, they are not going to hire her again this year. In light of this, she started working with her husband in their coffee and banana fields. Banana is a fruit, which they harvest two times a week. They sell it from their own farm to the merchants who visit them. To Jesusa, the farming work is not complicated. She wants to devote herself to buying and selling bananas. That is the way she can get greater earnings for her household. That is the reason she carefully clears her banana fields of shrubs. The more she produces the more of her own products she will be able to sell. Then she will buy less from other farmers. This is her third loan with MFP. She attends all of her communal bank meetings with her husband. He likes to be informed and participate with his ideas. She will use the money she is asking for to buy chemical fertilizers to fertilize her banana and coffee crops.

Translated from Spanish by Ginny Kalish, Kiva Volunteer

Irina Masleyeva : Ukraine

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:00:10 PST

$900 of $1,725 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 20, 2009

Irina is divorced. She has a grown son. Irina has been in the clothing sales business for 10 years. She sells children’s jean clothing in one of the biggest marketplaces in Zaporozhye. Since Irina launched her trade, she has managed to expand her small venture and purchased a vending kiosk and a vending tent in the same market. Both clients and fellow entrepreneurs recognize the wise pricing policy Irina has established. She has about 30,000 grivnyas in working capital. Her monthly net profit amounts to 2,500 grivnyas.

Irina is seeking a loan of 13,800 grivnyas to increase her working capital. She is planning to purchase seasonal clothing in bulk to widen her assortment of inventory for the cold season. Irina understands the value of having readily available resources to help her business grow and succeed and is very grateful for the given opportunity.

Faroles Group : Bolivia

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:10:14 PST

$1,600 of $2,800 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 19, 2009

The communal bank called BC FAROLES consists of 13 people of various ages that range from 20 to 50 years. The president of the bank is a person of strong character, cheerful and proactive who, with his sister, forms part of the bank. He has a son who is school-aged. Senora Missel, treasurer, is a go-getter and a determined person who has a minor child who is a year old. Sandra Elizabeth, secretary of the bank, is a person who is very determined and proactive, and the other members of the bank have similar personalities. The president, Alberto, makes sporting clothes. Senora Missel sells cellular phones in a market in the city. Sandra sells office supplies (scotch tape, etc.) wholesale, which she distributes in the different markets in the city. Other members sell food from their homes and another member repairs cell phones and computers. While there are other similar businesses in the area where they are developing their activities, the affluence of the consumers in the markets and the constant urban growth makes it such that the activities that they are developing are not affected. On the contrary, many of the members are hoping to grow their businesses and for this reason they are requesting this loan. The members are requesting this loan in order to acquire merchandise in greater quantity, others to buy new machines to increase their production, others to buy raw materials in quantity and thus increase their working capital. This group is in its first credit cycle, but the majority of them already know each other and have experience working with this type of credit.

Translated from Spanish by Lisa Grobar, Kiva Volunteer

Janet : Ghana

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:10:14 PST

$100 of $700 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 21, 2009

Janet is 48 years old and divorced with no children. She works hard as a petty trader selling foodstuffs like tomatoes, onions, peppers, smoked and dried fish, yams, plantains, etc. in bulk at the market. She takes delivery of goods from the surrounding villages and purchases some from Kumasi Central Market. Her problem now is inadequate business funding to make progress. With loan assistance, she believes her dream of buying more stock can be achieved. Janet would be grateful for your assistance.