By Leah Gage, KF10 Ukraine
When you make a loan to a Kiva borrower all the way in Kenya or Cambodia or Ukraine, do you ever think to yourself, “I wonder who took her picture?” Do you ever wonder, “Did someone ask her if she was okay with going up on Kiva?” Have you ever asked the question, “How am I getting repaid on this loan, anyway?”
The answer to all these questions, point to the Loan Officer, whose job it is to collect all the data you see on the Kiva Borrower Profile, and all the money you get back when your loan is repaid bit by bit. It’s even the job of the Loan Officer to explain Kiva and gain signed consent from a Kiva borrower to have her photo and story published for thousands to see all over the world.
In a previous story from the field, I explained that most of the Loan Officers I met as a Kiva Fellow in Ukraine had no idea what Kiva was or how it worked. The Loan Officer didn’t even understand who you were, loyal lender, or why you lend!
Well, it made me wonder. If he didn’t know who you were, how could you know who he was?
So I asked Volodya, a young loan officer at HOPE Ukraine, Kiva’s Field partner in Ukraine, if he wouldn’t mind if I followed him around for a day and made a video about him to share with the thousands of loyal Kiva lenders. He sort of doubts that thousands of people would be interested in him or his job. But I assured him that in a way, he’s already connected to thousands of people every time one of his clients is posted on Kiva.
Give him some love, people, and learn about the guy that makes it all happen: sit back and meet a Loan Officer.
'Leah Gage is a member of KF10 serving in Ukraine with Kiva’s field partner HOPE Ukraine. To make a loan to another HOPE Ukraine borrower, <a href= http://www.kiva.org/lend?partner_id=26&status=All&sortBy=New+to+Old>click here.</a> To learn more about HOPE Ukraine and the work they do with Kiva, consider joining the < a href=http://www.kiva.org/team/fans_of_hope_ukrainenadiya>HOPE Ukraine Lending Team!</a>
