My Journey on Discovering the Perfect Instrument to Help the Less Fortunate

How I got on Kiva to contribute back to society, making a worldwide impact, and how you should too.

If the world is split into two groups, the fortunate and the unfortunate, I count myself to be in the fortunate group. Indeed, I may not have the poshest home, the newest car in the market, or the latest phone. But all my life, I have adequate resources to get on with my life. I have a roof over my head, clothing suitable to survive the weather however it might be, and a filled stomach.

I have always felt compelled to contribute back to society. I remember when I was young, my mother, a housewife and a babysitter, is always there to help the people around her. To the detriment of our family. Well. Sort of. When a neighbor needs help sewing clothes, she would drop our half-sewed clothes and work on the neighbor’s first. When a child under her care falls sick, she willingly helps to take care of the child overnight to make sure everything is fine. I used to resent this trait of hers. Growing up, I vowed to never do this to my family. But thinking back, this may well be one of the major influences in this aspect of my life.

I remember this as well. At the later stage of my father’s life when he was retired and does not have income, he would still hand out some money to the homeless we encountered. He would always buy something from the disabled street vendors. When he does not have sufficient money to help out, he would ask some from me to give them a helping hand, promising to return the money to me when we reach home. It was always a bittersweet, mixed moment for me. Bitter as he had no meaningful source of income himself and yet he offered to help others. Sweet because of the same reason too. May he rest in peace.

I wouldn't say that I am a philanthropist myself. To describe myself as such simply demean the title and the people that truly deserve it. In today’s society, we are bound to question things. In this context, for every passerby that may ask for help, we doubt the authenticity, we question their ulterior motive. When we come across non-profit organizations, we become suspicious if the money donated ever reaches the intended recipient. It does not help the matter when there are exposes reported on the ineffectiveness of money channeled to the needful, while the presidents of the organizations take business class flights in their official capacity as the leader of the organization.

I am not rich. I am a poor man with money, which is not the same thing. — Gabriel García Márquez

Though I tried to give back to the community, I was hamstrung by the constant doubt in the genuineness. It was further complemented by the fact that I needed to make sure that I’m able to maximize my impact, with the limited resources I have.

Kiva fills this void of mine perfectly. I was first made aware of the organization when one of my colleagues from the Sydney office posted about it on his Facebook. I wasn’t giving it much attention in the beginning. But as time goes by, he posted more on and more about it. I started to take notice. I visited the website, and truth be told, I deliberate over it for about a year or so, again questioning the authenticity of this newly discovered organization. I took my time the understand what Kiva is trying to do, how it works, and how I can fit into the model.

For the uninitiated, Kiva is a non-profit organization that allows people to lend money via the Internet to low-income entrepreneurs and students. Kiva’s mission is to expand financial access to help underserved communities thrive.

In layman’s terms, here’s how the model works. Kiva works with local volunteers and organizations across the globe to identify people who may need a financial loan. The purpose range from education, livelihood, survival, and most recently those that were and still impacted by the pandemic. Kiva strives to crowdfund loans from ordinary persons like you and me. We essential provide loans, as low as $25, interest-free to those in need. While the return of “investments” is not guaranteed, I have been lucky enough to all my loanees that I have funded, returned the loan in full. I would then recirculate the returned loan into another person in need, which is the beauty of this model. I could literally help multiple people, circulating the same fund over and over again! Imagine that!

Since I have started, I have been able to help 5 persons, with $50.

I pledged all the proceeds from an online survey website and Medium to contribute to Kiva. It is not much at the moment but doing so pushes me to work harder on both fronts to contribute more to society. It motivates me to write more articles like this to spread positivity and at the same time contribute more to the people via Kiva. There are people around us in the world that need help, and if you and I and everyone else could lend a hand, it would be a better world. Every little thing matters. Including a simple small act of kindness. Let’s lend our hands to make the world a better place.