I tried to find a way to support the people in the countries I visit. I was looking for an organization where they help people a step further in life with investments in their businesses or education.
What is Kiva?
My friend Henny from Holland has sent me an e-mail in 2013; I never forgot that one. It was a Kiva coupon to invest in businesses around the world for people who need it. Like a farmer in Myanmar, a shop owner in Bolivia or a student in the Philippines. With the micro credit from Kiva they can make more money out of their business or a better job when they finish school.
” Loans that change lives “
Kiva is for me the right platform to support projects I can choose. For every new country on my world trip (I’ve never been before) I’ll add $25 to my Kiva account and support entrepreneurs or students around the world who need it.
When there is a project in the country, I visit I’ll support a project in that country. When there is no project, I’ll support another project in the world. Countries visited: China, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Singapore and Australia* New Zealand.
*Every month since I started traveling in 2014 I supported Kiva with $25.
My Kiva loans so far
Since October 2014 I add $25 to my Kiva account every month: that is 146 months now. What borrowers pay back, I lend out again to new entrepreneurs and students. Because of that compounding, a small monthly contribution keeps growing and helps more and more people: so far 3,546 loans in 83 countries. Figures from my Kiva account, October 2026.
The dashed line is what I put in, $25 a month. The green line is what has been lent out in total: every repayment goes out again as a new loan, so it rises faster each year. Model: loans repaid in monthly parts over 16 months, defaults not counted.
Some people are not rich they only have money.
Hopefully, I can visit a lot of countries and support Kiva!
Want to do the same? Start small, with $25 a month, and let the repayments do the rest: join Kiva via my invite link.
With Kiva I was able to support entrepreneurs and students in these countries while I was traveling!
Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, China, Colombia, Congo (DRC), Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Fiji, Georgia, Ghana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Israel, Jordan, Kenya, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Lao PDR, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mexico, Moldova, Mozambique, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestine, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Rwanda, Samoa, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United States, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe