We are coming up on the end of our first year of the Kiva/Net Cotton Content Portfolio.
Last November 24th, we began operations by announcing our three first $50 investments in micro-lending on Kiva.com, with $150 donated by loyal and generous readers John, Rachel, Emily, Abbie, and Michelle (and your humble writer).
Highlights of Year One
Two of our our loans have been repaid:
Djahid Suleymanov, our favorite butcher in Azerbaijan, has repaid 83% of his $1,000 loan. When he makes the final two payments of the remaining $166.60, we'll have our $50 back.
Then, after our first year, we will have our $150 available for us to withdraw and have a celebration party.
Slow down. There will be no celebration.
We will, as they say in Las Vegas, let it ride. We're going to find new entrepreneurs to whom we will loan money.
Does this all sound like small potatoes to you?
How lucky for you!
It's big potatoes to these folks. They are becoming self-sufficient — or maintaining their self-sufficiency. Whatever your politics, I think you'll agree: this is a better world if individual entrepreneurs have a chance at low-cost capital. That's us!
Did I Say "Us"?
And Does "Us" Include "You"?
Those were trick questions. The kind of rhetoric you would expect from your portfolio manager.
Yes, you can be included!
Here's how: from now until Christmas, Net Cotton Content will raise funds with TJT ("tip jar technology"). Just look at the left sidebar for The Hat, which I am passing to increase our funding for micro loans.
Click on The Hat and fork over your money. Any amount is welcome. It takes a community to raise funds. Let's go.
It would be delightful if we could get to $300, so we can make three $100 loans (rather than three humble $50 loans like last year). If we get to $500, that would be about $200 even more delightful.
My promise: all funds raised will go to entrepreneurs via Kiva. Even though The Hat's payment page suggests that this is a "tip for the author of Artie Isaac," I will never run off with the money, spending it on fast pizzas and loose ice creams. I won't. I won't.
Let's Add To Our Corpus
For two reasons:
- These are real people, living valid lives, in color.
- "Corpus" is just such a worthy word.
How much you got? Put it in The Hat.