After Halloween, the commercial businesses almost immediately drag out Santa Claus to get people to start thinking about the upcoming holiday season and gift giving.  However, more and more people are not shopping in malls when they can simply sit at home and shop online.  People are getting used to doing financial transactions online with trusted web vendors.  I just found a really cool social networking site that may just change your life.

Kiva.org allows people to lend money to people in need around the world by combining the concept of microfinance loans and social networking.  You can help people for as little as $25.

I just registered at Kiva.org the other day.  Kiva.org was started in part by a former wonk of paypal.com, the financial transaction company.  The site works seemlessly with paypal and all major bank cards (for those who do not have paypal).

Microfinance is a concept that was initially developed by Bangladeshi Muhammad Yunus with his Grameen Bank.  The sheer success of his idea of giving small loans to the poor, rather than charitable gifts, was lauded by many around the world.  Yunus became a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate in 2006.

Kiva.org takes microfinance a step further into the internet social networking generation.  Hence, I think of it as Helping 2.0.  They're new, but after two years, they're also now very stable and established.  They've received some good publicity from the likes of Oprah and former president Clinton for their innovation.

I've always been a charitable person and I assume most of you reading this are, too.  The cool thing about Kiva.org in my mind is that I can invest $25 into someone's hopes for a better future -- and then when they repay the microfinance loan -- I can recycle that small amount of money over and over again to help others!

Check out Kiva.org and find someone in need to help anywhere on the planet.  I decided upon Gloria Mbgela in Tanzania.  I wish her all the best, and success.  For when she pays me back, I'll be able to take that $25 and help someone else very soon.

[11/28 update] I'm posting further Kiva.org updates here.

	John Furie Zacharias thinks recycling money rawks.
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