Microfinance Summer Camp

I’m Leah, a Kiva Fellow about to serve in Zaporozhye, Ukraine with Kiva’s field partner HOPE Ukraine/Nadiya. These are questions I get all the time:

So, you’re moving to Ukraine? [Feel free to substitute Liberia, Mongolia, or some otherwise traditionally undesirable living environment where Kiva works.] Do you know its -32F in Ukraine right now? Yes.

Ok, so you’re working in an office where no one speaks English and you don’t speak Russian or Ukrainian? Yes.

Wait, so you’re going there to help build upon HOPE Ukraine’s working relationship with Kiva, and half the time you’ll spend traveling to remote rural areas to interview Ukrainian borrowers of microloans?? Does that really appeal to you? Oh yes.

Um, I don’t get it. You’re working there independently? There’s no Kiva office in Ukraine? Right.

And you volunteered to do this? Yes! Be jealous.

Or, apply to be a Kiva Fellow!

Kiva Fellows are the most dynamic, impressive, committed individuals on the planet. It’s true, you can take my word for it. I just finished a week of intensive, 10+ hour days of training to be a member of KF10. Kiva Fellows really are the most amazing people in the solar system. If you want to meet them, or be one, apply to be a Kiva Fellow.

There’s a bonus to the above mentioned exciting work abroad experience you could gain as a Kiva Fellow, and that is Kiva Fellows Training week at Kiva HQ in San Francisco. An entire week of intensive, Kiva-centric and microfinance-specific training among the greatest people in the known universe (this also includes the Kiva staff and interns)? More please. It’s like Microfinance Summer Camp, but more strenuous, grueling, intense, rewarding and FUN. If you are salivating at the mere thought of such an opportunity, YOU ARE NOT ALONE. There are AT LEAST 243 others just like you who have served as Kiva Fellows since the program began a few years ago.

I’ll tell you more about why Kiva Fellows really are some of the most impressive people I’ll ever meet in later blog posts. I don’t mean to sound conceited, I’m mostly referring to my KF10 classmates. For now, please feel free to comment with questions or visit this page for FAQs about the Kiva Fellows program. I think that most of us KFs current and past would love to post here about why we applied to be Kiva Fellows if you have questions!