Need a gift idea? Kiva lets you give and change people’s lives

You might recall a feature we ran back in January of 2007 about Kiva, a San Francisco-based organization that's using Web technology to allow people from all over the world to make small loans to entrepreneurs in developing countries. The feature inspired me to write an editorial about Kiva that I concluded with this aside:

"By the way, as I was writing this editorial, I took a quick break and loaned $25 to a woman in Afghanistan named Rohena Faiz Mohammad who needs $300 to buy beans and peas to sell on the street. The write-up on Kiva's Web site noted that it's difficult for women in Afghan society to engage in a business like this and that Rohena is struggling to overcome that obstacle. It took me about 10 minutes to make the loan. It was worth it."

I received an e-mail today from Kiva, which passed along an update from Ariana Financial Services Joint Stock Co., the microfinancing institution in Afghanistan that's handling Rohena's loan. It was clear that it was written by a non-native English speaker, so I've lightly edited it for readability:

"Rohena and her husband have got a shared business and they work together for their children to be educated and have a comfortable life. That is why Rohena bought beans and peas to cook them and prepare them for her husband to sell in the bazaar. Their business was very small, but now they are very happy because it is progressing. By taking out the first-cycle loan, they have a new chance in their business and life, so they are very thankful to donors around the world."

I thought I'd mention it because you might be looking for gift ideas during the holiday season. Kiva offers gift certificates on its Web site that would enable the recipients to play a part in giving people a chance at a better life that they otherwise wouldn't have had. Perhaps they'd like to invest in the single mom in Uganda who's starting a business selling charcoal, or the group in Cambodia that's opening a grocery store. It would be difficult to come up with a gift idea that would do more to change people's lives.