A Kiva loan for a donkey cart to Pakistan

It's almost two years since I made my first loan on Kiva but I still get a thrill out of choosing a new recipient. (The best way to learn about Kiva is to read all my Kiva posts, but in a nutshell: you're helping people help themselves, by giving money that they pay back).

Scrolling through the potential loan recipients is a fascinating process and deciding on which part of the world, what kind of industry and what kind of people to loan to can be tricky. Usually something triggers a choice for me and this time, it was the story of a Pakistani woman my friends met over the weekend. She was sent to Australia for an arranged marriage that didn't work out well at all, and my friends helped her make a report at a police station and get medical treatment - and she is hoping to return to Pakistan this week. 

Recipients of Kiva loans in Pakistan (via Kiva.org)

My friends went above and beyond what most people do when they come across someone in need (literally on the street) - the least I can do is direct my $25 to Pakistan to help a different Pakistani woman improve her family's situation. My loan will help them replace a donkey cart, needed for the family business.

Kiva is offering free first loans again - that is, you use their money to make your first loan and the repayments go back to them, but you get to understand how the system works. Follow this free trial link to get one, and join the Not A Ballerina lending team so we can track how much we help as a group.

(This isn't a sponsored post ... I just really think Kiva does good stuff).