KIVA History

More than 1.7 billion people around the world are unbanked and can’t access the financial services they need. Kiva is an international nonprofit, founded in 2005 in San Francisco, with a mission to expand financial access to help underserved communities thrive.  We do this by crowdfunding loans and unlocking capital for the underserved, improving the quality and cost of financial services, and addressing the underlying barriers to financial access around the world. Through Kiva's work, students can pay for tuition, women can start businesses, farmers are able to invest in equipment, and families can afford needed emergency care.

Westside began with $316 from the Change for Change bucket in Aug 2019. Three loans were made at that time. Another $430 was deposited in Jan 2020 for another seven loans. As those loans have been repaid, the money has been re-invested in more loans.

To date, 35 loans have been made for a total of $1800. Twenty have been fully repaid, nine are in re-payment status, five have defaulted, and one was refunded.

Thanks to your initial support, Westside has made loans in nine countries, including the Dominican Republic, Tonga, Uganda, and the US, for purposes of agriculture, education, and supporting small businesses.

Learn more about Kiva at https://www.kiva.org/