A loan of $275 helped to purchase more products to sell.

I helped fund a microloan for Leony, a saleswoman from the Philippines

Here is Leony’s Story

Leony is a woman that lives in Dumaguete, Negros Occidental, Philippines. She is married with a total of six children. All of her children are in school which is why she works so hard as an entrepreneur. She has been selling direct to consumer for Splash products for a total of five years. This is the business that has helped her to achieve success.

As a woman who is so hardworking, she wants to build her business by expanding the number of products that she has available for sale. If she can do this, then she will be able to send her children to college. Recently, Leony approached the Negros Women for Tomorrow Foundation for a loan to help her grow her business. She asked for a loan of PHP 12,000 and awaited feedback on a possible funder.

Locally, her loan was administered by the Negros Women For Tomorrow Foundation (NWTF). This Kiva partner and non-governmental organization is focused on ensuring that the men and women of the province of Negros Occidental gain financial security. They do this by offering a number of services, from microfinance services to insurance premiums, health and dental missions, accidental death benefits and hospital income benefits.

Using the Kiva lending platform and the NWTF, I was able to fully fund Leony’s loan, so that she could be confident that she would provide for her family. Organizations like these, along with social entrepreneurs such as myself are helping to transform the lives of thousands of low income earners by giving them the tools they need to escape the poverty that surrounds them.

Kiva is a site that brings social entrepreneurs like myself together, while organizations like the NWTF identify needy people on the ground, and distribute the funds that are donated. One of the reasons this system works so well is because all the organizations involved have the same goal; to provide microfinance services to low income earners who cannot access traditional forms of capital. Should you like to change the life of an entrepreneur that is struggling in the same way, you should visit www.kiva.org. The website contains a long list of entrepreneurs from a range of regions who are in desperate need of funding.

Dr. Joseph Johnson is a witness to the many lives changed through a microloan given to small entrepreneurs throughout the world. Visit this website for more information about the funding provided to entrepreneurs by Dr. Johnson and his firm, GoodField Investments.

Notes

1. This article is based on https://www.kiva.org/lend/808345