Kiva, an American-based nonprofit, has offered over more than USD 10,000,000 in micro-loans to business entrepreneurs in developing countries. Over 93,000 individuals have so far loaned money by selecting projects to support on the Kiva website. This is the uniqueness of Kiva - individuals loaning to individuals.

Kiva works with 61 microfinance offices around the world who screen and submit loan recipients. According to Kiva’s website, Kiva has funded 15,635 loans (averaging $651) and has a repayment rate of 99.71%. Typical loans are repaid in 6 to 12 months and you can track your project on the Kiva website.

Lenders are coming from America, Canada, Mexico, Japan, U.K., Italy, Germany, China, Israel, Brazil, India, Republic of Korea and many other countries.

By supporting active businesses, it is hoped that the recipients will be able to build a sustaining income level which will help many people in their country. Loans are used to buy production equipment, livestock, feed, raw materials, spare parts, seeds, and obtain lower wholesale pricing by buying in bulk.

Loan recipients are located in countries such as Azerbaijan, Sierra Leone, Honduras, Peru, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Nigeria, Paraguay, Mexico.