Comments on: The Face of Microfinance in Guatemala

By: Daniel Noll

Daniel Noll — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 03:24:49 +0000

@Sky: Definitely give Kiva a look. And in general, Guatemala has a lot of NGOs to choose from if you’d like to get involved. The trick is just doing your research to see what fits with your interest.

By: Sky

Sky — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 22:00:20 +0000

I love this. Great photos and a great story. I’ll be looking into how I can get involved with this. It’s amazing how what seems like a tiny contribution to us can completely change someone’s life.

By: Drew

Drew — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 09:32:22 +0000

Why do “they” need my fiat money? What they have is more real than my illusion (paper money… digits money) ITS AN ILLUSION.

By: Audrey Scott

Audrey Scott — Mon, 11 May 2009 20:29:14 +0000

@Kevin: Glad you found us and are enjoying our blog. And, congrats on being a new Kiva lender. The transparency and low overhead of Kiva’s system are pretty incredible – it’s been pretty cool to see all sides of the process. We hope to cooperate with Kiva throughout this region, so keep checking back for more updates and photos.

By: Kevin Fairdosi

Kevin Fairdosi — Fri, 08 May 2009 03:33:34 +0000

This is great. I just stumbled upon your blog and love it. I just started giving through Kiva and love to see how you’re getting involved it. I’d love to be in your shoes!

By: Audrey Scott

Audrey Scott — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 10:54:14 +0000

@Jason: No, we didn’t visit Juana in Villa Nueva but we did visit one of her fellow borrowers, Julia Liliana. I imagine the stories are similar. Through a series of small loans Julia has been able to put herself through two years of baking school, begin a baking business, start a sewing business and her next plan is to create a day care center for working moms. Her businesses have started to employ a few local women, too. And, this is all within her home. She was so optimistic and excited about the possibilities for the future. A great visit.

One thing I learned from talking with the Kiva Fellows is that loans usually get funded within days (sometimes in less than 30 minutes!). The simplicity of the Kiva’s system works – they’ve been able to tap into generous lenders like you who want to do something with their money. It’s pretty incredible.

@Bernie: Glad you enjoyed this! We hope to bring you more Kiva-related pictures and stories from the rest of the region.

@Dee Dee: Good eye – she is really expressive, isn’t she? That photo captures her spirit well.

By: Dee Dee

Dee Dee — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 21:35:09 +0000

Beautiful pictures — I especially liked the woman tying the skirt.
D.

By: Bernie Coffey

Bernie Coffey — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 15:05:52 +0000

Very cool – great pics and what a wonderful org!!!

By: Jason Kay

Jason Kay — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 10:10:26 +0000

Beautiful photo set. I was excited to see that you were visiting some of the Kiva loan sites. I thought that perhaps you might have visited one of the businesses that I loaned money to through Kiva.
Juana Azucena Lopez in Villa Nueva.

Then I saw FAPE has 145 loans! The odds weren’t too good on that.

Thank you for the great pictures that help give everybody a more in depth view of whom Kiva is helping.