We help a photographer in Senegal buy a camera

Looks like we're helping this guy just
in time - his photo is all blurry.

It's the 15th!!

Which means the repayments from our previous loans start to trickle back into our account.

The beauty of this sort of charity is it helps people who are prepared to help themselves - it's the old 'give a man a fish, you feed him for a day, teach him how to fish and you feed him for life' scenario. So they borrow money off you (you choose who) in US$25 increments (lots of people contribute to each loan to make up the total) and they pay it back in line with their agreed repayment schedule. Then you lend the same money out again.

If you're already involved in KIVA and have loaned out some money, chances are there's some in your account ready to be loaned back out, although if it's under $25 you might need to add a couple of dollars. Most months we add a few dollars - our KIVA account has about $220 in it now.

Tonight I've decided to help a family man named Kaba to upgrade to a better digital camera. He's a photographer so it's important part of his business.

Here's what Kaba's application had to say:

"Kaba is a professional reporter-photographer. He has been in this profession for a few years. This career is very profitable in his community and allows him to earn income that enables him to take care of the needs of his family and to save a part of his profits. He is married and father of two children. In order to acquire more powerful equipment, he is asking for a loan of 250,000 francs to buy a digital camera. His ambition is to open a photo finishing lab."

I especially wanted to help Kaba because he's a photographer like my lovely wife and it's the first time I've seen anyone on KIVA asking for a camera. It grabbed my attention.

If you'd like to try KIVA for yourself, they're again offering FREE TRIALS. Just click the link and pop over. THE LINK :)