Volunteer Spotlight: “I feel like I’m using my skills in a way that helps some of the most vulnerable individuals in the Spanish-speaking world”
April 20, 2020By: Rachel Phandinh
At any given moment, Kiva’s website hosts thousands of borrower profiles and loan requests from all corners of the globe. As a result, many of these profiles require translation and editing before they can be made visible to the public. This is where the Review and Translation Program (RTP) steps in.
RTP is composed of hundreds of volunteers that review, translate and edit loans on a daily basis in order to see them fundraise on the Kiva site. These individuals typically review at least 16,000 loans per month. Their skills are so appreciated and just last year, they contributed to $141,536,950 in fully funded loans.
This month, we want to shine the spotlight on three individual volunteers: Pauline, Erika and Debra. We are so incredibly grateful for these women who dedicate a large portion of their time to empowering borrowers and creating a financially inclusive world. Without their contributions and the contributions of all RTP volunteers, our capacity to support Kiva borrowers would be severely limited.
Pauline Marcato
Kiva Volunteer of the Month, January 2020
“When translating the loans, I can always feel how personal their requests are.”
City: Paris, France
Language: French
Team: Baobab
Time with Kiva: 2 years, 8 months
Outstanding contributions to Kiva: Inspired by Kiva, Pauline transitioned from working in eCommerce to the “tech for good” sector. She has reviewed over 800 loans since 2017.
Erika Millen
Kiva Volunteer of the Month, February 2020
“I use editing as a way to clear my head before moving to other projects.”
City: Indianapolis, Indiana
Language: English
Team: Kiva Comma Squad
Time with Kiva: 3 years, 10 months
Outstanding contributions to Kiva: An enthusiastic sheep co-op member, Erika has reviewed over 12,000 loans since 2016.
Debra Faszer-McMahon
Kiva Volunteer of the Month, March 2020
“I feel like I’m using my skills in a way that helps some of the most vulnerable individuals in the Spanish-speaking world.”
Location: Pleasant Unity, Pennsylvania
Language: Spanish
Team: Mil Puentes
Time with Kiva: 11 years, 5 months
Outstanding contributions to Kiva: A Spanish professor, Debra has reviewed over 1,900 loans.
Want to be part of this amazing community of translators? Join us here.
PREVIOUS ARTICLE
Recetas para el cambio: aprender a adaptar los hábitos alimentarios en medio de la crisis climática →NEXT ARTICLE
Celebrating the power of Kiva volunteers, one loan at a time! →
