Over on Google+, I've circled a number of genealogists, and through them, I'm finding more genealogists around the world. This blog post by Judy Webster is just so wonderful that I wanted to share it with you:
Genealogy Leftovers: Genealogists for Families: keeping the memory alive...: "For as long as I can remember, my father set aside a small sum of money that he would periodically lend to a hard-working person in need of short-term help. We called it his 'Do Good Money'. Dad passed away last year at the age of ninety, and I want to honour his memory by continuing his tradition. I have just found an easy way to do so."
Her post goes on to describe the non-profit organisation Kiva, and invites her readers to join her Kiva lending team, Genealogists for Families.
I hope that you will read her lovely post and consider joining her team. It would be lovely if this team could grow to include genealogists from around the world and to become a family tradition for all of our families.
Thank you so much for supporting the plan. I know times are tough for many people, and I thought this comment on my post was great: 'Whenever my husband and I find five cent pieces in a pocket/purse, we will put them in a special collection jar. The girls will put in a small amount from their weekly pocket money. When we have $25, we will let the girls decide which person to lend it to.' -- Incidentally, I recommend registering with Kiva and joining our team now, and in the future, when you are ready to made a loan, it will be linked to the team automatically.
ReplyDeleteI want to encourage genealogists everywhere to join Genealogists for Families on Kiva and make a small loan. I have been lending money to small family businesses all over the world since 2008. The money has always been paid back, and I then lend it to someone else, although I have the option of getting the money back. Occasionally I also make a small donation to Kiva to help cover running costs, although this is not mandatory. It's very satisfying to lend money to specific people for a stated cause and know what it will be used for, and then getting it back again!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy the selection process - looking at photos of the borrowers and reading their stories and information about their countries. In many places the life expectancy and infant mortality statistics are appalling. -- When I checked an hour ago, our Genealogists for Families team was supporting a dozen small businesses in low income areas: farming in Peru; livestock in Mongolia; poultry in Azerbaijan and Zimbabwe; manufacturing in Nicaragua; food sales in Honduras; arts and crafts in El Salvador; sewing in Costa Rica, Paraguay, Peru and Tajikistan; and an Internet cafe in Bolivia. Please join us!
ReplyDeleteMy family and I have loaned through Kiva for a while. What i like about it is that the projects make a major difference to an individual, particularly women, which then makes an ongoing difference to the family , the village and it spreads from there.
ReplyDeleteJudy, thanks for pointing out that we can join now and donate later; that's very good to know.
ReplyDeleteCarole and Helen, thanks for your support of this idea.
Best wishes to all of you!
Just to clarify... it is a 2-step process:
ReplyDelete1. Register at http://kiva.org/invitedby/judy3877.
2. Go to www.kiva.org/team/genealogists and click 'Join'.
Thanks, Judy!
ReplyDeletePamela, it's great to see the links to our team in the sidebar and 'Generous Genealogists' tab of your blog. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Judy. :-)
ReplyDelete