Want to be directly involved in breaking the cycle of poverty that limits so many lives worldwide? Consider Kiva, the world's first person-to-person micro-lending website that connects individuals (like you!) from around the globe to entrepreneurs in developing third-world countries to make loans as small as $25.00 that can change lives.

Here’s how it works – you loan $25.00 via Kiva to an entrepreneur that you chose from the website. Kiva facilitates the loan through its connections to banks worldwide that screen the entrepreneurs for viability and creditworthiness. The bank lends the money and manages repayments. You track your entrepreneur’s business progress online and you get repaid in full. It’s essentially a 0% loan you make to someone who ordinarily wouldn’t qualify for a traditional loan. Your loan (in some cases, combined with other lenders) provides the springboard for a small business person to get the start they need or to add expand existing enterprise. And Kiva’s track record for repayment – 97% – sure beats the current stock market.

Make a difference today – person-to-person! For those who want to be connected in a way that establishes a partnership and allows/requires recipients to be accountable, Kiva is a great option. First Plymouth Church has created a ‘lending team’ on the Kiva website that we’d love to have you join.

Kiva also allows you to give on-line gift certificates to others for as little as $25.00. Remember Kiva for Mother's/Father's Day, birthdays, anniversaries, or even an end-of-the-year gift for a special teacher.

Click here to join the First Plymouth Kiva Lending Team and start changing lives.