Time to give back #gratitude

If I haven't made it clear along the way in my posts; I love my job and I'm grateful for the opportunities it brings me. I live a very fortunate life and my grandma instilled in me from a very young age that there are others out there less fortunate and that I should help if I could. When I was young I would snuggle in her warm bed whilst it rained she would remind me to be grateful because there were plenty of people that did not have a roof over their head for a warm dry place to sleep.

So with all this Sydney rain I've been thinking about my grandma and her lessons a LOT. Rather than just think about it I decided to look for a way to act on it.

So today I finally did my first micro loan through Kiva.org after thinking about it for far too long! For those of you that aren't familiar with Kiva it is "an international nonprofit, founded in 2005 and based in San Francisco, with a mission to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty."

 Put simply in my words the "haves" give micro loans to the "have nots". It is not donations (although can be) but rather loans to people who otherwise wouldn't have access to financing that are paid back in installments over an agreed time.

"By lending as little as $25 on Kiva, anyone can help a borrower start or grow a business, go to school, access clean energy or realize their potential. For some, it’s a matter of survival, for others it’s the fuel for a life-long ambition."

I was clear that I wanted to find a female from any region that resonated with me. Then I saw this -

That was my sign! We are in the same game just on opposite sides of the world.

"Luz is a charismatic and enterprising woman from the town of Carepa (Colombia). For two years she has worked in her own business making detergents. She is in a common law marriage and has a son. She seeks a loan from Interactuar (Kiva local partner) to buy cylinders of gas and chemical supplies. This will allow her to continue in her job."

Details of my first loan can be found here - https://www.kiva.org/lend/1616929.

My plan is to continue to look for other opportunities to support those that have the drive but just need the access to the means.

So on this rain soaked Sydney Monday - I get to love my job, make a difference and honour my grandma. #WINNING

Maybe this is something you have been thinking about (just like the First Aid course lol) and my post will inspire you to take action and make a big difference to someone else. Why - because you can!

#kiva #grandmasays #makeadifference