One of the great things about having a good job in an area with a low cost of living is that I have a bit of discretionary income. Money is not of great value if it not put to good use . . . and there’s only so much space in my closet for shoes! Anyway, I finally made a contribution to Kiva. This is a great organization that lends small amounts of money to people in poor and developing areas that would not otherwise have access to credit from major lenders. The funds are used as start up capital for small business, home construction, etc. I made a very modest loan of $25.00 to a woman in Bolivia to help her embroidery business. Here’s her photo:
It feels good to support a woman that makes beautiful textiles to support her family. As a fellow embroiderer, I have decided to support small scale textile artisans. You can check out Kiva’s website, click here.
Of course, there are many deserving organizations that need our support. In our increasingly globalizing world and through Al Gore’s great invention of the internet (LOL), we can make a difference. Someone recently told me that as one single individual, they couldn’t really affect any change on the world. Call me deluded, but I do believe in the Power of One — every communal effort must start out with one individual deciding to engage.
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