Bas grew up in The Netherlands and graduated with a degree in European Studies from The Hague University. He has lived in New Zealand, Spain and Belgium, travelled around the globe and volunteered with projects in India, Cameroon and Latin America. Currently, Bas lives in Brussels and works for Triodos Bank, one of the world's leading sustainable banks with a mission to make money work for positive social, environmental and cultural change. He is convinced that microfinance functions as a positive tool for development by stimulating entrepreneurship. Microfinance enables people to improve their lives by financing their own initiated projects. He has always had an interest in development cooperation and sustainable development, even writing his final thesis about ‘sustainable development cooperation’. He is curious to find out how microfinance contributes to sustainable development. He is very excited to be a Kiva Fellow and have the opportunity to use his skills and knowledge in the field to contribute to Kiva’s mission.