I am very proud that I have now impacted 535 people’s lives (plus their families) through providing Micro Finance Loans through Kiva.org.
With loans averaging between only $25 and $50, I have contributed to helping people provide stock for their stores, keep their taxis on the road, buy cows to sell, improve their farms or in many other ways to improve their lives. This is across countries ranging from Vietnam to Venezuela and from Kenya to Kyrgyzstan. All this through just an online website, credit card and PayPal account. This makes it very easy to be a micro-financier.
Kiva is a wonderful organisation through whom you can provide interest free loans to people in the developing world. The default rate on my loans is less than 1% and as money is repaid, I can lend it again to someone else. Kiva send me regular emails on the people to whom I have lent money and the progress of each loan.
Please have a look at this website and see if you can contribute too. For most Australians, $25 per month is only a tiny amount as a regular contribution.