Update from the Field: Loan Use, Agriculture Loans + Stuff Kiva Fellows Like

Compiled by Kathrin Gerner, KF16, Rwanda

This week on the Kiva fellows blog: Hop on a poda-poda or an okada to try out an adventurous way to get around Sierra Leone. Find out why loan use in Tajikistan is not as straightforward as you may think. Learn how the principle of “trust but verify” is applied in Georgia. Explore the clever efforts of an Ecuadorian Kiva partner to craft an agricultural loan product that is appropriate to farmers’ needs. Welcome Kiva’s new field partner, VisionFund Cambodia. Learn how village banking works in Ecuador. Finish off by getting the inside scoop of what Kiva fellows around the world thrive on, from alpaca fur to Ziploc bags.

Adventures Chasing Poda-Podas + Hitchhiking in Freetown
Country: Sierra Leone / Fellow: Tejal Desai (KF16)
Tejal tries some new modes of transportation as she travels in out outside of Freetown.

Loan Use: Not As Simple As You Might Think
Country: Tajikistan / Fellow: Chris Paci (KF16)
Chris explains why predicting what borrowers will do with their loans is more complicated than one might think.

Trust But Verify
Country: Georgia / Fellow: DJ Forza (KF16)
DJ realizes that Georgians “trust but verify”.

Tough Crowd; Pitfalls and Progress in Agriculture Loans
Country: Ecuador / Fellow: Marcus Berkowitz (KF16)
Marcus explores some of the reasons why farmers stand apart from other borrowers.

VisionFund Cambodia Struts onto the Kiva Catwalk with Class
Country: Cambodia / Fellow: Dave Weber (KF16)
Dave celebrates with VisionFund Cambodia as they become an active Kiva field partner.

Bank-O-Mat Under a Hot Tin Roof
Country: Costa Rica / Fellow: Julie Kerr (KF16)
Julie explains how village banking works at Kiva’s field partner FUDECOSUR.

Stuff Kiva Fellows Like
Country: Nicaragua / Fellow: Jim Burke (KF16)
Jim compiles a list of stuff Kiva fellows like: from alpaca fur to Ziploc bags.

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Updates from the past month:
Starting Capital, Development Levels + Adventurous Borrower Visits
Going Pilot to Active, Meeting Borrowers + Technology and Social Performance
Costs of Kiva, Donkey Shares + the Law of Diminishing Marginal Returns
Loan Sharks, Snapshots + “the Country with a Smile”
Motorcycles, Ramadan + A Dollar a Day
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Plus more pictures from the past week: