Kiva.org has got to be an example of what happens when smart, economist types get really passionate about doing something against world poverty. Once again it was on Makeesha’s blog that I saw the link: but this is a really cool initiative.
Basically, you lend money directly to people in developing countries for the express purpose of starting or improving their businesses. Each loan request has a detailed description of who the person is, what they are doing, and what they plan on spending the loan on. Once they pay back the loan, you can either take your money back (greedy so and so) or re-invest straight into someone else. It means that ultimately, you’re making an investment into these communities in a direct and tangible way. So go on: sign up. I’m a loaner – you should be one too!
