Kiva Club

 

As of June 2021 both the H.S. and M.S. Kiva Clubs have raised over $12,000 and made over 3,100 loans totaling nearly $100,000. Hundreds of students have participated in fundraising events and lending activities since the club’s inception in 2010 . As the club continues to grow it gives students the opportunity to learn about, and acquire skills in finance, marketing and promotion, global economics, and the social and political implications of poverty around the world. Please let me know if you would like to join the club.

 

 

 Kiva is a growing microfinance/lending organization that pools together small monetary donations from thousands of groups and individuals around the world in the form of loans to help poor people become economically independent. These are no-interest loans for specific groups and individuals that are starting, or running small businesses with a set timetable for repayment. In June of 2017 Kiva crossed the one billion dollar mark in the value of loans distributed.

I have used Kiva in the classroom as a tool to both raise awareness about the value of microfinance as a positive socio/economic model to combat poverty, and as a method to introduce students to a variety of countries and cultures around the world. My students have raised over $10,000 to date which is now part of a revolving Kiva account I have set up for past, present and future classes. As the loans are paid back, the money is returned to the account and available for distribution to other borrowers in Kiva’s network. Rather than just being one-time, charitable contributions, these are funds that remain for perpetuity in the Kiva account which  can be accessed,  and built upon by future classes.

This club offers the following enriching experiences for students:

1)    Introduce students to an organization that is effectively addressing the persistent condition of poverty around the world.

2)    Allow Kiva club students to build a high school, and middle school community of lenders and give them the responsibility to track and monitor the  funds collected and the loans distributed through Kiva.

3)    Give students the opportunity to join a growing network of worldwide school-based Kiva clubs in a mission of global community service and outreach that they can leave behind for future students to build upon.



Learn more about Kiva at   www.kiva.org

 

and click on the link below to see who we are lending to- Our Kiva Portfolio