FAQs: Kiva in Spanish

So what's different between Spanish Kiva and Kiva?

The main difference between Spanish Kiva and Kiva is the language. Another difference is that in Kiva Spanish you’ll only see North, Central and South American borrowers’ whose loan use and description is originally in Spanish. In the English Kiva you can navigate through the entire website with no geographic or original language posting limitations.

If everything goes well and we see enough demand for Kiva in Spanish pilot, Kiva will spend more resources on it. We hope it can serve as a building block for Kiva in many other languages. As a pilot program, we want to apologize in advance for some of the bugs and want to thank you for your support.

Why Spanish?

We launched Kiva in Spanish for two main reasons: (1) there are around 50 million of spanish speakers in the US, and (2) at least a third of Kiva’s loan come from Latin America.

Where does Kiva already lend in Latin America?

Kiva currently lends in Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, and Peru. And hopes to keep expanding in the region, to help more people.

Who is Spanish Kiva targeting?

We hope that with this website Kiva will be able to reach spanish speakers in the US that didn’t use Kiva because of the language barrier.

Does Kiva need volunteers to translate loans?

Yes, Kiva relies on a worldwide network of over 450 volunteers who work with our Field Partners, edit and translate borrower stories, and ensure the smooth operation of countless other Kiva programs.