Microlending, Kiva and “Half The Sky”

By: Russ | Published: October 13, 2009 | Filed under: About small businesses

Last week my business partner and I were invited to an event by Sunflower Children, an organization that helps disadvantaged children around the world-one of the charitable organizations that we donate free office space to.

The event was a release party for a book written by two (married) Pulitzer-prize winning journalists titled Half the Sky. The title of the book was based on a Chinese expression – “Women hold up half the sky.”

While some celebrities (Ashton Kutcher, Demi Moore, Marissa Tomei) were there, I was more moved by the journalists who had written this book about empowering women. I was amazed to hear a story Nicholas Kristof briefly spoke about – one that is written about in much more detail in the book.

He told of a Cambodian woman – a farmer whose family was very poor. Since her parents needed money, she found a job as a waitress in a restaurant in Thailand. She embarked on the long journey to Thailand with a friend. When she got to the “restaurant” she was escorted by men deep into the jungle and then repeatedly raped and beaten. She was then eventually sold to a brothel in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia where she was drugged, repeatedly beaten, and eventually forced to become a prostitute with about a dozen other girls who had been exposed to similar circumstances. She was beaten if she asked the customer to wear a condom, and kept naked at all times to prevent her and the other girls from stealing and from running away, and bussed from their small room to the brothel with security guards daily. She eventually escaped with three of the other girls. When she went to the police, she was raped and beaten for illegal entry to Malaysia, and then escorted to the border of Thailand.

Eventually she made her way back home to Cambodia, where she secured a loan for $400. With that money she purchased a small kiosk on the Thailand Cambodia border. Eventually, she expanded to a store, then took over the store next to hers, creating a mini-empire. She employs many other women, sends money back to her family weekly, and is now happily married with children.

I was astounded at the pain this woman went through, and at her amazing recovery. I don’t think I could do anything like that, and am thankful that I will never have to find out (knock on wood). One of the best organizations I’ve been a part of for the past three years is Kiva. Kiva sets up micro-lending for small businesses – 85% of them women-owned.

The great thing about this charity is that once you put money in, you actually get it back in only a few months!!! I’ve contributed around $800 over three years, and helped fund around 50 small business loans to people who really need the help. Recently Sunshine Suites formed a lending team at Kiva, which can be found at http://www.kiva.org/team/sunshinesuites. If you’d like to get involved, I really encourage you to sign up and make a few loans – you can make one for as little as $25. The great thing is, if you need the money, you can get it back in a few months. If you’re like me, you can also use it as a savings account that constantly does good for others. I love getting paid back on my loans, simply because it allows me to then lend to another group. To date, after 3 years and around 50 loans, I’ve never lost a penny, and its made me feel great and grateful to read about the ambitions of these people I’ve never met, and the businesses they aspire to start or to grow.

Live, Love, Laugh and Learn.

Joe Raby