Categories: politics, religion, finance
Date: 20 January 2009 19:25:53
Thanks to Jacqui for her comment. I discovered Kiva a few years ago but never seemed to have the opportunity to make use of it.
One of the good things is that you become to feel a part of someone else's life. You get regular updates, if you want them. You can also target your money as you want; this includes by region/country and business type.
I have decided that I don't want to help people who sell alcohol, not because I'm a teetotaller or an abstainer, I just want to help people in ways that do not badly effect others or encourage money being spent on non-essentials at the expense of more immediate needs.
I also want to target people in the farming and transport areas, partly because I work in transport. I also have areas of the world that mean more to me than others. Now I get to help people in cental Asian republics that are often overlooked. I also love the idea of helping someone to buy cattle or a motorbike; I'm investing in things that will have immediate impact on their lives.
However the most important factor is that I'm doing what Jesus told us to. I'm helping the less well off not because I want credit or to have an ego boost but because that is how we should live. As Jesus (paraphased) said:
You clothed me, you visited me in prison, you fed me.
When?
Whenever you help someone else you help me.
*** If others are interested we could always set up a Wibsite team on the Kiva site on t'Internet to show others how we're linked and how we'r helping.