A loan of $225 made it possible for Caryl Jean to buy feed and vitamins for her pigs.

I chose to help fun Caryl Jean, a pig farmer and entrepreneur from the Philippines.

Here is Caryl Jean’s Story

In the heart of Occidental, Philippines, you will find a happy woman who has been raising pigs for the past four years. Her name is Caryl Jean and she is married. At thirty years old and an entrepreneur, she has proven herself to be excellent at clearing her debt, as she has been able to borrow for her business three times and pay back each time. This time around, she wants to get more feed and vitamins for her pigs. This will make it possible for her to expand her business with a loan from the Negros Women for Tomorrow Foundation (NWTF).

As she has in the past, she got in touch with NWTF for a loan to grow her business. Her intention is to build her business, and it is clear that if she continues in this path, what started four years ago could still become self-sustaining.

Caryl Jeans loan was locally administered by the NWTF, a non-governmental organization and Kiva partner. This organization has a main aim, which is to make sure that those families who have low income in the province of Negros Occidental become financially self-reliant. In addition to loans, social and economic services are also provided, including life insurance policies, livelihood workshops, dental and medical missions, and microfinance services. The funds that are facilitated through Kiva lenders help to build small business.

Through the Kiva lending platform and the NWTF, I chose to fully fund Caryl Jean’s loan, so that she could continue on her journey to build the business. Organizations like Kiva and the NWTF are changing the lives of people in the Philippines by giving them a way to get away from a cycle of poverty.

It is amazing how all this works. Kiva brings people like myself together, while organizations like the NWTF finds entrepreneurs that require funding. I come in as someone who wants to do what I can to eliminate poverty.

The Kiva lending platform is free for anyone to join in. If you are interested in changing the lives of people just like I did, you should visit www.kiva.org. On the website, you will hundreds of entrepreneurs that will benefit from your funds.

Dr. Joe Johnson founded GoodField Investments to help startups, entrepreneurs, and business leaders with strategic and capital support. Learn more about the firm’s mission here.

Notes 1. This article is based on https://www.kiva.org/lend/828195