Holiday Giving

Sorry for taking so long to get my post up and running. The minute that Mom and Dad told me about their plans for our X-mas giving I immediately knew what I wanted to do. This is something that I like many others have wanted to do but just never get around to. I thought it would be best to split my money up between and International and a Local cause. I find them equally important but I thought it best to do something locally because during the holiday season you see so many in need. Quite some time ago I learned of an International program called KIVA- www.kiva.org. My local project was through the post office's "ELF" Program.

Here's a link to the story of how KIVA began
http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=about&action=story

The program is very similar to the Grameen Bank that Muhammad Yunus started and recently won the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts. Essentially what KIVA does is connect you with micro finance institutions throughout the entire developing world. Once you make a loan your money is transferred to the micro finance institutions loan officer and then dispersed to the individual(s) that you have chosen to sponsor. This is one of the greatest features of this program. This allows you to communicate with the individual that you have lent your money to. Most loans are repaid between 12-18 months. Periodically the individual or the loan officer will contact you via e-mail for updates on the business. With a success rate of +95% of loans being paid in full- at the end of your 12-18 months you have the opportunity to help more individuals by re-investing that money back into the program whether its the same individual or another on a different continent.

Here is a description of the individuals I chose to loan my money to:

Abibatou DROMANN ia married with 3 children and lives in Tsevie, TOGO. It is here that she supports her family by running her restaurant, Cafe d'Or. With my loan she will be able to stock up on more food, cartons of milk, glasses, egg trays, and other cafeteria items.
http://www.kiva.org/image.php?id=10360&isMain=true&size=fullsize

Narish Shirinova(44) is married with 2 children and live in Khirdalan Town, Azerbaijan. Her family are all Internally Displaced Persons (IDP). They were displaced from the Armenian-occupied territory of Azerbaijan Jabrail Region. My loan to Narish will help her open her own perfumery where townspeople can buy all kinds of soap and corner market things.
http://www.kiva.org/image.php?id=9728&isMain=true&size=fullsize

Petko Todorov is married and lives in Silistra, Bulgaria. After driving taxis for many years he started his own company in 1992 named Pierita and currently has 2 cars. My loan to him will allow him to Repair the vehicles he already has and help to possibly get another one in the future.
http://www.kiva.org/image.php?id=8601&isMain=true&size=fullsize

The second half of my money was donated through the ELF program- directed by any local United states Post Office. As all of you remember you used to write letters to the Santa in the North Pole. Well The ELF Program answers these letter for the kids and or families that are in need. I originally wanted to do just one family or one individual but in the end thought that I should spread my donations out. The first letter broke my heart so I spent most of my money on him-
Tim Jones is 11 years old and and has many health problems. He has endured several stomach and bowel surgeries and has several more to go. He loved Urlacher and the Bears. He is often made fun of in the neighborhood or at school because he cant tell when he needs to go to the bathroom. As a result he wears a diaper and is never invited to other homes to play. I got Tim an Urlacher jersey and a fleece Bears blanket. If he gets tired of watching the Bears choke then he can play with the remote control Monster Truck that I got him. I also got him a handful of pants and shirts as well as some pajamas.

Marvin Porter is an 8 year old and like most wanted a Playstation 3 and some Air Jordans. He told me that his father left his home a long time ago and his mother is currently unemployed. His true passion is school and basketball so I got him a basketball and a couple books to read.

Kymia Brooks is 5 years old and is being cared for by a distant family friend because her mother was not able to care for her. Her new mother has 3 grown children and is having a hard time this year making ends meet. I got Kymia a big Dora the Explorer Doll and well as practically every book there is out there on this Dora girl whoever she is. I also threw in a couple classics from our day like Little Mermaid and that one with the puppies. To finish it off I got her some pajamas that she can enjoy while her new Mom reads her to bed at night.

This experience has been amazing. I thank you soo much Mom and Dad. Its been so nice to touch so many in need at years end as well as take a step back and realize how fortunate we really are.
Best of Luck in the New Year
Brendan