Over 1 Billion people live in poverty, which is defined as making
less than $1 (U.S.) per day.
Micro-lending is a way to change lives by making small loans to people in
poverty to help them build a business and lift themselves out of poverty. It's a modern day twist on the idea of teaching
people to fish rather than giving them fish.
Typically,
the money invested creates 3x to 5x more money in a community, as these new entrepreneurs have money to spend on food, healthcare
and living.
How can you help? Kiva.org allows
you go lend directly to budding entrepreneurs in developing countries. Other micro-lending foundations could use your donations.
Kiva
http://www.kiva.org/
Kiva is the first person-to-person lending website that allows you to lend
money directly to an entrepreneur in a developing country, empowering them to lift themselves out of poverty. When your loan
is repaid, you can lend it again to another person in need.
Five Talents
www.fivetalents.org
Five
Talents’ mission is to fight poverty, create jobs and transform lives by empowering the poor in developing countries
using innovative savings and microcredit programs, business training and spiritual development.Five Talents provides consulting
or training in the some of the poorest countries in the world since operations fully began in September 1999. They have
financed thousands of $50 to $300 loans to poor entrepreneurs in 12 countries, including Bolivia, the Dominican Republic,
Honduras, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Nigeria, Peru, the Philippines, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.
Grameen Foundation USA
http://www.grameenfoundation.org/Grameen Foundation USA is dedicated to reducing global poverty among the poorest
of the poor through microfinance. GFUSA partners with 52 microfinance institutions in 22 countries that provide financial
services to empower the poor to start very small businesses to support themselves and their families.
Village Banking
http://www.villagebanking.org
The mission of the Foundation for International Community
Assistance (FINCA) is to provide financial services to the world's lowest-income entrepreneurs so they can create jobs,
build assets and improve their standard of living.