KIVA is a “microlending institution,” a charity that makes small loans to set up small businesses across the world. SUUS has supported KIVA for close to 15 years, after an initial donation of $1500 that has been paid back and re-loaned multiple times. To date SUUS has made 108 loans to people in 28 countries. 81% of KIVA loans go to women, who are most likely to spread resources throughout the community. Our most recent recipient is Ala’a in Jordan who is running a business from home.
The upheaval in Palestine means that business loans there aren’t possible at this time – relief work is what’s needed – but loans to women in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria help support countries that are objects of US-Israeli bombardment and help local economies to accommodate the influx of Palestinian refugees. Over the decades these countries have absorbed millions of Palestinians driven from their homeland.
To learn more about KIVA, visit their website: https://www.kiva.org