How to support the women of Guate

Trust Bank members in Chimaltenango

Friends and family have asked how to support the women and Trust Bank groups I´ve been lucky enough to meet. There are a couple ways:

1. Make a donation to Friendship Bridge. Based in Denver, they provide an impactful combination of microcredit and education to Guatemalan women. I´ve been pleased to find that they have an excellent reputation in the field and here in Guatemala.
2. Become a lender on Kiva.org. Kiva connects people through lending to alleviate poverty. They leverage the internet to let individuals like yourself lend as little as $25 to help create opportunity around the world. A worldwide network of partner institutions, called Field Partners, are responsible for screening borrowers, disbursing loans, collecting repayments and otherwise administering Kiva loans. Friendship Bridge is a Kiva Field Partner. 

On a field visit in Patzun with loan officer Francisca. 

I am growing out my bangs. Sigh.

You can lend directly to a Friendship Bridge client through the Kiva site by searching for "Friendship Bridge" in the Choose a Borrower search, or you can search by country (Guatemala) and look for the Friendship Bridge logo in the loan description.

For example, the "Uvas Group" (The grapes! What a name...) is a Friendship Bridge client currently listed on Kiva.org that needs funding. 

(Click here to see their profile and lend).  Good news... looks like this loan has been funded!

Kiva lending is unique and fun (even addictive) because you learn about the individual who receives your loan contribution. You have a sense of connection to that person. And remember, this is a loan, not a donation. Bit by bit, your money is repaid.

During the loan cycle, you will receive an update on how the client´s business is doing and the impact the loan has had on her life. This follow up is written by a person such as myself, who attends a loan repayment/educational meeting and interviews the client directly.

Cara interviewing a Trust Bank president in Xela.

The clients I have interviewed so far have already received their loan disbursement for this cycle, and are typically one or two payments from completing their loan payments. The write ups I composed after the interviews are posted to their client profiile and emailed to the lenders who funded that loan (as far as I can tell, you cannot read them on the Kiva site). 

However, many of the clients  I met plan to participate in another loan cycle once theirs concludes, which means they will likely reappear on the Kiva website.

In the coming months, keep an eye out for these Trust Bank groups in Guatemala:

• Mujeres Activas
• Mujeres Chimaltecas
• Las Princesas
• Las Orquideas
• Las Claveles Rojas

And of course, there are many many worthy groups and individuals around the world to be found on Kiva.org, so feel free to lend to whoever inspires you. 

My experience working with Friendship Bridge and Kiva has only solidified my faith in the effectiveness of microcredit lending as a tool to alleviate poverty. I´m a believer!

P.S. If you decide to lend, I would love it if you´d leave a comment below.

related post: Microfinance and a free Kiva trial