Izafat Djafarov

A little over a year ago, I signed up with kiva.org. An ingenious organization, Kiva lets you lend to specific entrepreneurs in developing countries around the world. It links people in need, micro loan organizations, and lenders. With a minimum $25, you can lend money to someone half way 'round the world. No fuss, no muss, and all with the click of a button. Brilliant.

So, I took my $25 and lent it to Izafat Djafarov, a 42 year old married gentleman with 2 kids living in Azerbaijan. He was looking for $725 to buy more cups, glasses, teapots and sugar bowls for his small coffee shop. Having a small addiction to all things Starbucks, this was a business I could understand. My $25, plus money from 24 other lenders from the USA, Japan, Mexico, Sweden, France, the UK, and Norway gave Izafat his loan and a chance to make his business more successful. And this morning, I received notice that Izafat had made his final payment on the loan.



I was a little shocked at my response to this. To be honest, the whole process of lending can feel a little impersonal. Everything is done through your computer and a credit card. Other than a short description of the person and their business, you don't really know very much about them. You've never met the person, are probably never going to meet them, and really, $25 is such a small amount that it doesn't make a big dent in your life. You also have very little concept of what their day to day life is like. While on a conceptual level you can understand that a $725 loan can make a huge difference for someone in a developing country, the lack of personal contact and any real understanding of their personal circumstances makes it difficult to become too emotionally involved in the process. And then you get the news that they've paid back every penny.

I was torn between jumping up and down for Izafat, and shedding a few tears of pride. And I also felt a surprising sense of sadness. My relationship with this person is suddenly over. The $25 is back in my pocket. Presumably, Izafat will continue on with his business. But I find myself left with a lot of questions. Did the loan help? How is his business doing? Did this in any way improve his life, his business, his prospects? I have been quietly rooting for this fellow for a year, watching every month to see if he makes the next payment. I realize that I'm going to miss getting my monthly notice about this loan. Not because I care about getting my $25 back, but because I really wanted this person to succeed.

And maybe that is why Kiva is proving to be such a successful program. Without realizing it, you make a personal connection with someone. And it isn't a handout that you are giving them. It is a hand up. In a small way, you have a vested interest in seeing them succeed. You find yourself cheering them on, hoping that your small investment results in something good for them.

You'll have to excuse me. I have $25 that I need to go and loan to someone...