Cool new partners: Providing growth, energy and vision around the world

Our partners are located all over the world, working to create change in the communities where they’re based. Whether it’s helping social businesses get a leg up to solve social and environmental problems, providing solar power to small rural communities in Nepal, or bringing vision to those in need wherever they may be, the work done by our partners is having a positive and unique impact on communities all around the world. Here are 3 new partners who joined us recently:

Agora Partnerships

The “missing middle,” or businesses that are too large for microfinance but too small for traditional financing, is currently a big issue in developing nations. This is where partners like Agora Partnerships, a nonprofit organization that works with early-stage social businesses across Latin America, come in. They focus on companies finding innovative ways to solve social and environmental challenges, and provide them with access to customized consulting services focused on driving investment in the company, access to a global community of investors, mentors, and peers, and opportunities to network with and pitch to investors.

Adding Kiva funding to their mix, Agora is now able to directly provide loans to some of the companies it supports, continuing to encourage growth and sustainability. Some of the loans even include an “in-kind” community reinvestment to make sure borrowers reinvest funds in their communities.

Connect with businesses focused on improving their communities here.

Gham Power


Gham Power started in Nepal in 2010 with the aim to provide a reliable source of energy that is also clean and affordable. After the 2015 earthquake, their work has only grown in importance with the increase in power shortages and volatile fuel prices. Kiva funds are used to ease the upfront costs of installation for small business owners, but Gham Power also has programs to provide reliable energy to hospitals, factories and large businesses.

One of the products they provide is a microgrid, which is able to serve 20 or more households and businesses, cutting diesel consumption and providing solar electricity at very affordable rates. Their work has provided several communities with the energy they need to make everyday life easier, and for businesses to grow and support even more people with a clean, secure and reliable power source.

If you’d like to bring solar energy to communities or support sustainability, make a loan here.

VisionSpring


“If you can’t see, you can’t work or learn.” This is the motto of VisionSpring, a non-profit organization selling low-cost, high-quality eyeglasses around the world to those in need. Using a micro-franchise model, VisionSpring partners with local organizations who address vision problems in their communities, while VisionSpring provides access to eyeglasses and technical support.

The model requires partners to make an upfront payment of the eyeglasses shipment price, which has been an obstacle for smaller partners. Funds from Kiva lenders will go to support these less experienced local partners, who will also receive technical and marketing training to succeed as local distributors. VisionSpring loans funded on Kiva enable more local partners to begin providing eye care and products, generating greater impact and reaching more people overall.

To bring clear vision to those in need, make a loan here.