I was turned on to this innovative Seattle startup that focuses on improving the lives of extremely poor through the use of educational loans. It is self-sustainable as 97% of the loans are paid back and can be used again to loan to more people in need. Ideas like this can change the world. I love it and that’s why I just placed my first loan in the program and started a group to compete in their March Madness Challenge - anything that ties in the sports world is very cool. Having been to Central America several times, I chose to loan to Evalesthy Mercado in Nicaragua. You can read about her story here. It is refreshing to see entrepreneurs tackle the issue of extreme global poverty and we need to support them. Whether it is Vitanna or another great Seattle-based organization like One Day’s Wages - if you have the means to give, please do. Each dollar is directly given to those who need it most, meaning 100% of your donations go to those in need. This is the new breed of non-profits and transparency at its best. If you don’t have the means to give, talk about the issues and raise awareness amongst your peers - it’s what I call “social giving”.
Who are some of your favorite non-profits or for-profits that are doing innovative work in solving global poverty? I’d love to hear about them! Perhaps, you are ready to embark on a new journey starting your own?
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on Vittana. The only micro-lending I’ve been supporting is Kiva. However, this past month I’ve had a growing desire to expand where I give to other organizations as well in third world countries. I’m going to look into Vittana as a possible partnership. Thanks again.
As Alice somewhat referenced - this sounds a lot like Kiva - but a little bit more niche. I think the idea of micro-lending in general is great, because our dollars go sooooo much futher in developing countries.
Here’s a group I’ve been supporting (http://www.edenprojects.org) A good friend from college - Jamie Shattenberg (http://www.redislandrestoration.com) is running the Madagascar mangrove reforestation project and they’re on track to plan over a million seedlings this year while also providing jobs for the local community!
A good friend of mine is running Senai Global, and seeing great results with locally managed clean water initiatives and micro lending. Partnering with individual and corporate donors has been key.
http://www.senaiglobal.org
Wow.