Amanda Graham-Rowe, BPW Brampton Caledon’s first Vice President and International Affairs Chair, is spearheading the club’s international microfinance projects with KIVA.
KIVA Project
KIVA is an international nonprofit with a mission to expand financial access to help underserviced communities thrive. Kiva provides fair access to capital to create economic opportunity and financial stability for themselves and their families. Through Kiva’s work, women and girls can pay for tuition, women can start businesses, farmers are able to invest in equipment and families can afford needed emergency care.
While individual lenders are repaid the money they contribute to a borrower’s loan, they do not receive any additional interest on the loan. It is a philanthropic effort, though the potential to relend after a loan has been repaid has far more impact than a donation.
This year, BPW Brampton Caledon has selected and funded various micro funding projects through Kiva as part of our efforts to support Women internationally who are also positively impacting the communities in which they live. Details of our current loans are below.
Gotitas De Esperanza 1 Group – Nicaragua
$125 – May 21, 2024
The Group called “Gotitas de Esperanza” from León, Nicaragua is in its 6th loan cycle. The Group comprises 9 members who are known for their good payment record. The businesses are predominantly : food sales, meat sales, perfume sales, welding shop and book shop.
Rina Cristina (wearing a shirt with red circles on a white background and black trousers), is 37 years old.. She has run her bookshop business for 7 years. She will use the loan to buy 20 reams of letter sized paper, 6 boxes of pens, 50 pieces of card, 36 notebooks and 6 boxes of lead pencils. Her hopes and dreams are for the business to grow in future providing better income. She advises women starting their own business so that they can support themselves with their own ideas and enterprises.
This loan is special because it empowers women through community support and financial training.
Kana Group – Congo (DRC)
$125 – May 21, 2024
Mrs. Arivera is a client of the Hekima MFI and the leader of the village group Kana. She is 50 years old, married and the mother of 6 children who are all in school. Her husband works for a private firm.
She sells boards, a business she started in 2003 with startup funds that she received from her husband. Later on, she relied on the Hekima program to support her business which has grown well.
With this new loan, she will buy boards in order to supplement her initial capital. She thanks Hekima and its partners for the support they provide to business owners who cannot access bank financing.
This loan is special because it serves entrepreneurs in conflict-affected areas with few opportunities.
Sustainable Artisan Development Project - Peru
Providing training, market access, and higher incomes for 250+ artisans in Peru.
Artisans in Peru, particularly those in indigenous communities, face limited economic opportunities and struggle to earn sustainable income because the industry operates in an informal and unregulated manner, often leading to inconsistent product quality, inefficiencies, and lack of resources. Women artisans face additional challenges related to balancing their craftwork with their domestic responsibilities.
This Northern Peruvian company merges smart design practices with social innovation to create handmade goods in partnership with local craft communities. They help establish businesses and enables a home-work economy, allowing women to continue their work while fulfilling their caregiving roles. These services assist in bringing a 25% increase in extra monthly household earnings for artisans living in extreme poverty..
Still in the fundraising stage, BPW Brampton Caledon has funded $250 of the requested $50,000 loan. The loan repayment is estimated to be over 26 months.
Nazava Water Filters – Indonesia
Repaid May 2024
Expanding the production and sales of water filters for safe drinking water in Indonesia.
Nazava Water Filters was founded in Indonesia in 2009 to provide safe drinking water to lower-income households, by producing and selling affordable, yet high-quality household water filters. To date, Nazava has provided 265,000 water filters to low-income communities.
Nazava is expecting high demand in Indonesia and needs sufficient inventory. This loan will help pre-order 40,000 full systems and will supply an additional 200,000 people with access to safe drinking water.
BPW Brampton Caledon has funded $250 of the fully funded $50,000. This loan is expected to be repaid by June 2024
