Kiva changes lives
My beautician is making me switch over to Dermalogica products. My fav is the daily microfoliant which really washes off my face from all dead cells and daily dust and brightens my complexion wonderfully. I start over enjoying water on my face 4 years after I banned it over ‘micellaire’ solutions like Bioderma’s. I refilled last month and the package was overwrapped into a secondary one inviting to make a microloan to a small entrepreneur. I didn’t need to pay any more money since I already paid for it when I purchased the product (clever isn’t it?), but I needed to check in to the website, and make the donation: £1…. Hell! No one’s hurt! So did I do my charity action, clicked on Latin America and picked clothes, because it’s my thing. And forgot about it. And just today I find this email that I helped Castula buying soft drinks, costume, jewelry, bags and ladies’ accessories. How gracious she looks with her her skirt and matching handbag, that she carries with as much elegance as Bernadette [Chirac, the French First Lady before Carla Bruni Sarkozy].
The email goes on, describing who’s Castula, her family and how my £1 (yes £1) will help her strive her business.
And for £1 (yes £1), I’ve been pushed to act by myself (not give £1 to the cashier that would go to whatever charity that I would never look further into), log in to that website, voluntarily put my details and choose what was more appealing to me. And because I receive back some news of how I contributed … you know what! I feel compelled to do more. The ‘business’ model is just brilliant. It’s on Kiva‘s model which was created by a Stanford MBA, a fellow graduate of my boyfriend. It makes me feel so proud to be part of the Stanford community.











