Kiva movement

As a crocheter I spend an immense amount of money on yarn. There's no reason to tiptoe around the matter, it's a simple fact. It is also true that sometimes this makes me feel guilty. Especially, when I think with the mother side of my brain, thoughts like these pop up in my mind: I could have spent that money on new shoes, clothes or even toys. And then sometimes, when I see homeless people on the streets, I think to myself: here I go buying yarn, when others can't even afford the most basic necessities of life.

Sometimes all this guilt builds up in me to the point, where I don't even feel like taking up the hook. There's probably something not quite right with me to think like this, luckily I have a super supportive husband, who helped me to figure out a solution. It is a non-profit organization called Kiva.

Kiva offers a simple and effective way to help people in need without having to spend a fortune. They created a worldwide network of microfinance institutions, that lets an individual lend $25 (or more) to those, who, for some reason or other, are not qualified for a more traditional loan. Every case has its own personal story. There are many categories the lender can choose from, such as Education, Housing, Art, Agriculture and so on. You can also base your decision on countries and even gender, there are many possibilities, as there are many applicants. No matter who you choose, you don't just help that person out, you create opportunities, and those opportunities move the world forward.

And even better, since you are lending the money, that means it will eventually get back to you (in most cases, anyway). And then you can go on and lend that very same $25 to someone else.

How does this solve my problem you ask? Well, in a very simple way. Let's say I spend $100 on yarn. I divide that with 4, which is $25. The total amount will be $125, of which 80% was spent on yarn and 20% was lent to someone. So every time I buy yarn, I keep the check and when I reach $100, I go to Kiva's site and help someone to make their life better. And at the same time I create an ever growing fund of my own to keep helping others as long as Kiva exists, which I hope is forever.

Here is a graphic version of how Kiva works: