Without Kiva, it would be impossible for a small organization like ourselves to identify, qualify, facilitate, and fund loans to eager third world entreprenuers in some of the poorest of the poor countries in the world.  With Kiva, however, that seemingly impossible dream is a reality.  Kiva has developed a network of already practicing MicroFinance Institutions (MFI's) throughout the world and given them the technology and the partnerships (joint effort with PayPal, Cisco, and a ton of Silicon Valley companies) to bring together their borrows/businesses with the funds of lenders large and small worldwide!  We have pre-screened a handful of these lenders, specifically two that are affiliates of HOPE International, that are Christian MFI's, meaning that they see sharing the Gospel as part and parcel of the loan process.   Here is how it works…  Share5 style.

1.  You make one of two types of fully tax deductible contributions to Share5:     
        a.  Contribute $5 or more a month into our Microfinance Specific fund
        b.  Make a general contribution in any amount, or monthly support Share5,
                and 10% is automatically earmarked for microfinance!
2.  We take those funds, and monthly deposit them, via PayPal, to our Kiva Lender Account. (As part of their partnership with KIVA, PayPal charges nothing for this service!)
3.  We watch for loan requests to be loaded from one of our pre-screened MFI's, and then we fund those respective loans from our lender account.
4.  Once again, PayPal transfers the funds, free of charge, to the third-world offices of the MFI, facilitating the International exchange.  (yes, that IS awesome!)
5.  The MFI makes the loan and oversees the repayment process with the local entreprenuer, transfering the funds back to Kiva via paypal as they are repaid.  Funds are then redeposited into the lender's (our) account.

Here is where this gets amazing…
1.  The repayment rate on Kiva, and with Hope, is upwards of 98% on average, meaning losses are extremely minimal. 

2.  We are currently funding 4 loans on Kiva.  As an example of how efficient the system is, the first repayments from loans one and two, only a total of around $8, are currently in use, recycled and reloaned in loan four!

3.  Lenders are collected in groups called "Trust Groups".  These co-ops are similar to our small groups concept in US Churches in that they meet weekly or bi-weekly to make their loan payments and also for education, fellowship, and in the case of our Christian MFI partners, sharing of the Word of God.  They also have cross guaranteed one another's loans, which is why the repayment rate is so high.  If one person can't make their payment, the other 5-10 make up the difference.

We could not do this without your support.  your funds are the funds that are making a difference.  Would you please consider making a standing monthly commitment to fund microfinance work and the spreading of the Gospel through this project?  You can start with as little as $5 per month!

The highlight of our involvement with Land of a Thousand Hills in the last year, however, happened in late February when the first Sustainable Cycle Coffee Bikes were delivered to the eagerly awaiting Bukonya Coffee Growers in Rwanda!  These grower families were able to purchase their new custom-designed cargo bikes as the result of two-year microfinance loans provided both from LOTH coffee sales and direct donors to the project.    – A handful of these loans were directly funded by Share5 donors!  -  The great thing about these loans (and microfinance in general) is that in 2 years, we can use the same money to fund another loan to another grower!  Your gifts keep on giving!

Before custom-designed cargo bikes were made accessible to coffee farmers, Rwandans either walked 4 or 5 miles to collection points or used dangerous homemade wooden bikes (see photo) to deliver their cherries. Not only were the wooden bikes unsafe, they were not efficient and often completely unsuitable for carrying the heavy bags of cherries.

In 2005 Tom Ritchey, a pioneer in the world of mountain biking and owner of Ritchey Design, created a cargo bike that enables coffee farmers to travel safer, faster, and deliver a higher quality bean as a result.  This higher quality means a premium price for the growers, resulting in an increase in both income and quality of life.

By your support of Share5 and our microfinance projects like the sustainable cycle loans, you are making these amazing moments possible.  I remember sitting with tears in my eyes as I first saw the photo above of these first 8 bikes in the hands of the families who will put them to use during the 2009 harvest season.  Enjoy the fruits of their labors, and yours, with a cup of Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee today, and thank you to those who have participated in this amazing ministry.

Be a part of changing lives around the world! 
Fund a Sustainable Cycle Loan through Share5 ($250) (Remember, it gets REUSED once REPAID!)

     or…
Contribute $5 or more monthly to the Share5 Network Fund

TOMS Shoes are a comfortable, simple, and stylish way to show that you think about the decisions you make and how they affect others.  Started in 2006 by Blake Mycoskie, TOMS committed that for every pair of the Argentinian styled shoe that they sold, they would give away a pair to a child in need in a lesser developed country…ONE FOR ONE.  Its that simple.

TOMS SHOES… check them out today.  Your feet, and the feet of a child, will thank you.

For more information, check out our TOMS partner page on our site!

If you want to create a link to this story or link to TOMS from your blog and help us with generating not only great shoes for needy children, but also funds for microfinance, please use the URL below to ID your link with Share5's affiliate ID (AID):  http://www.tomsshoes.com/?aid=1264&LinkID=1264 and either grab one of the images below or just do a google image search for TOMS Shoes!