​Have you ever heard of Kiva? I know most companies have a charity that they support, but Kiva is... a different kind of thing. An AP English teacher in high school introduced me to the program, but the gist of it is that you donate as little as $25 to a micro loan (say, a tailor in Pakistan who needs $600 for a sewing machine, a farmer in Africa who needs seed for the next season, a shopkeep in the Phillippines who needs stock to sell) to someone in a third world country (or even here in America!) who can't get a loan because the number is too small to be bothered with, it's in a combat zone where the banks don't want to risk it, they're too poor to pass the credit check, or what have you. Sometimes it's a farming co-op that needs the money to buy new cattle, a single mother's building expenses for a new home, a computer lab owner trying to bring wifi to his underserved community, or for repairs when a New Dehli cab driver's car breaks down, but the owner can't afford it, and his job is too unstable to get the loan.
​
As someone who has big plans but no capital to speak of, I know the feeling. That's why I do Kiva. And the best thing is, when that person pays back their loan, you get your $25 back, and you can then pass it on to someone else. Their credit score rises, their business gets the boost it needs, and they can pass that growth on to the rest of their community. And even if you only chip in the one $25, you can do it over and over and over again.

 

It's a beautiful thing.