Kiva Loves from Taiwan & more

Since mid-September, I have been in Taiwan for my 1st field placement prospecting potential partners in this lovely island. People might associate Taiwan with High-tech companies and irresistible foods; however, I found out that caring & sharing are special elements rooted in Taiwanese’s hearts.

In traditional Taiwanese greeting, people usually ask “are you full yet?” instead of “how are you?” You may ask why? Because feeding stomach was such an important thing in old Taiwanese society and it was also a well-being indicator. If someone has a problem of getting food, the person will be invited for a meal in the neighborhood. This is a great example of how Taiwan people care and share with each other, and even with foreigners!

Some facts about Taiwan:

1. The cultures of Taiwan are a hybrid blend of various sources including, traditional Chinese culture, Japanese culture, traditional Confucianism and increasingly Western values.

2. People in Taiwan have preferred donating to family members and close acquaintances. Giving has been based on the tradition of “quanxi” or personal connections, and donations outside of immediate family were primarily for religious purposes.

3. Taiwan Philanthropy: Taiwan people gave approx. USD 1.79 billion annually over past three years.



Team captain, Mr. Ping Chu, is a serial entrepreneur and a leader of supporting young entrepreneurs to realize their dreams in Taiwan. He believes that small business is the ideal platform to experiment with profit-for-purpose business model. He is passionate about sustainable lifestyle, conscious business, social innovation and young entrepreneurs mentorship. He is a long-time supporter of Kiva!



The goal of my fellowship is to spread awareness of Kiva and make the first ever Kiva loan helping small business owners in Taiwan possible. Special thanks to Small and Medium Enterprise Administration of Taiwan (MOEA) and KPMG Taiwan for supporting the first Kiva introduction event in Taipei.

At the meanwhile, let’s take a look at the amazing impacts made by Kiva lenders from Taiwan: Nonzero Club & Taiwan Gives