Be the change.

I had the opportunity to meet some inspiring fisherwomen in Thanh Hoa this week! Two of them said they were able to quadruple their incomes as a result of receiving loans from Kiva over the course of 8 years. They couldn't ever have afforded to buy the technology, tools and large fishing nets needed to expand their fishing businesses without loans from Kiva. I knew Kiva was impactful, but it's very exciting to see and hear the positive impact in the flesh! (from the left: Nhu

This is Mrs. Giang! Mrs. Giang has two children, a boy and a girl, who she has raised on her own since her husband passed away. She has been managing a successful tofu making and selling business in Thanh Hoa for eight years. Mrs. Giang recently applied for and received a Kiva loan to purchase an additional, newer, tofu making machine. Her old machine would constantly break and even when it did work, it was very slow. Since she received her Kiva loan, she has seen her output

Women are a good investment. Here's why they are a worthy investment, how they can be invested in and thereby empowered, and how this impacts global development: Women are one of the most vulnerable populations and are therefore in great need of economic empowerment. Also, studies show women are often more likely to repay loans than men, making them reliable borrowers. Microfinance functions as an investment in and empowerment of women. Female economic empowerment spurs globa

It's no wonder the Vietnamese women's unions run the implementation and oversight of the majority of the microfinance initiatives in Vietnam, with the assistance of NGOs and microfinance institutions, to help lift women out of poverty. Vietnamese women served as military leaders, politicians, diplomats, peaceful protesters, medics, spies, farmers, mothers and teachers during the Indochina Wars (1945-1975) and the Vietnam War (or as they call it in Vietnam, the "American War")