How Do You Run a Shop in a Neighborhood with No Cash?

I’ve always been curious about what happens when microfinance clients open businesses in places where there is very little capital. Many operate small shops of household necessities but the placement of such stores is generally based more on proximity to home than a strategic evaluation of which part of town is most profitable. [...]

The Importance of My Fellow Fellows

Not every day as a Kiva Fellow is a good one. There are days when I wait for seven hours for a credit officer to be available to take me to the field to collect journal updates for only two clients. There are hours of intermittent internet in which I am able to [...]

Profit: A Tricky Subject

Today I made a post on the general Kiva Fellows’ blog. I’ll spare you from a re-post here so that those of you less interested in the professional aspect of my life don’t feel forced to read it. For those of you who want to know why the word “profit” is so often [...]

Head of the Class Meets Head of the Household

Every month, Kiva sends an electronic newsletter to its 400,000+ users.  In each newsletter is an article by a Fellow about a client he or she has met in the field. This month, I wrote the feature article. As many of you don’t receive the newsletter, I wanted to share my story with [...]

There’s No Such Thing as a Routine Commute

I’ve gotten in the habit of saying ‘hello’ to everyone I see. It is the only strategy I have come up with that successfully mitigates the stares that I receive from just about everyone, and I enjoy the surprised smiles and return greetings I get when the gawkers see that I am able to [...]

Another Look at Training Staff

I recently posted to the general Kiva Fellows’ Blog about some of my experiences as a trainer over the past 6 months. I know that I have already covered (quite thoroughly, some would say) my work as a trainer at BRAC Tanzania, but if you’re aching for more, check it out here.
Stay tuned for [...]

Spreadsheet Purgatory

In the last installment, you learned a little bit about my role as a trainer at BRAC Tanzania. Now, I’d like to add to the mix another element of my time there. In order for the Kiva process to work and for the Journal Update requirement to be met, the partner MFI must [...]

It’s Not All Fun and Games

Some people say that my blog is amusing. That makes me smile and I thank those of you willing to stroke my ego. I am, however, aware of one of the blog’s major shortcomings: I habitually fail to inform my readers about the specifics of the work I am doing. Looking [...]

Moments I Like

For eight hours yesterday, I attempted to post a video of a client interview on my blog. Finally, the internet café wanted to close, forcing me to cancel the upload and delay the introduction of my very own YouTube video. On the one hand, I wanted to throw my computer out the window [...]

And During the 19th Hour, I Was Electrocuted

I have completed my first 24 hours in Rwanda. While I know that if I try to truly document the nuances of the day I just had, this blog post will be my longest yet (and that’s saying something because you all know I am verbose), I tried to write the abridged version but [...]