4 Things That Make the World Go Around...

I chose to be a Kiva Fellow so I could devote my time and skills to the cause to alleviate poverty and to have an experience of a lifetime. Fully aware that I may never have the opportunity to spend an extended period of time in the Philippines again, I also wanted to be sure that I took complete advantage of all that the country had to offer. At the top of my ‘To Do’ list was to become a scuba certified diver (and overcome my fear of being underwater). In order to check an item off my bucket list, I planned a weekend in Dumaguete, Negros, to get my scuba diving license. On the way I met Mike Stone who got me to think about the four things that make the world go around… time, love, money and energy.

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O is for Opportunity

When I decided to apply for the Kiva Fellowship, I had ‘opportunity’ on my mind. I wanted to be a Fellow so I could become a channel through which disadvantaged people could connect to a network of financial support, thereby presenting them with the chance to improve their lives. Though I came to the province of Bohol envisioning the most effective opportunities to take the form of financial transactions, I have, on several occasions, witnessed other means of empowering underprivileged Filipinos.

To read more about the opportunities available to blind, deaf and disabled individuals in Bohol visit the Kiva Fellows Blog. 

Island Life - Where's the Glamour In That?

It was a typical bright and sunny morning as I walked down the Talibon Pier towards the tiny boat that would take me island hopping for the day. I was greeted by six smiling loan officers already seated inside the boat; they watched as I maneuvered myself down steep sloping rocks, balanced on a beam to cross the water, and finally jumped onto the boat that would take me on an incredible forty-five minute ride through the Philippine Sea…

After a few stops and many laughs, we arrived at Nocnocan Island – a tiny island that is only accessible by boat. We pulled up on the shore and walked through a maze of homes and shops, the alleys approximately three and a half feet wide. At the cluster meeting house, where the CEVI borrowers gather on a weekly basis, I was able to learn about island life and how the microfinance loans were making an impact on the Nocnocan community.

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