“Urantogs Badamdorj lives with her husband and two teenage children in Ulaanbaatar, the capital city of Mongolia.  Her two children are both high school students.  Her husband is a cab driver in the city.  Urantogs has a small retail business selling women’s clothing.  Once, sometimes twice a month, she travels to Ereen, a Chinese border town, and purchases women’s clothing for her business.

Urantogs rents a small stall in the Narantuul market, the largest outdoor market in Ulaanbaatar, and sells her imported clothing at the stall. Her family lives in Ulaanbaatar’s ger district, where most of the residents live in traditional felt-walled yurts which do not have running water. She hopes one day to be able to afford to live in an apartment with hot running water.

Urantogs says that she is working hard to make her dreams come true. She requests a loan to purchase more clothing from Ereen for her business.”

http://kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&action=about&id=107695

“The Libertad Communal Bank begins its fourth cycle with 18 members.  The members have different business, such as the sale of cereals, breads, fruit, food, linen goods, fruit juice, tubers, general groceries and clothing.  Edith has a live-in partner, is 33 years old and has 3 children.  She has a stall at the Carmen Alto market where she sells various types of potatoes, an activity that she does every day.  Herminia, who has a live-in partner, is 35 years old and has 2 children.  She sells food from a vending cart in the Magdalena market, an activity that she does every day in the mornings.  Eugenia is married, is 35 years old and has 1 son.  She sells merchandise from a vending cart in the Magdalena market.  The members need different loan amounts, such as 300, 450 and 600 soles, making a total of 10,250 soles in loans from the Communal Bank.  Their loans will be invested in the purchase of rice, noodles, candies, furniture, gallon jugs, wheat, corn, fruit, clothing and potatoes.  The dream of the members is to improve their businesses, to have their own sites, to build their own houses and to offer a greater assortment of products in their businesses.”

http://kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&action=about&id=100282

“Marie Kouakanou was born around 1966 in Guévié Zoukomè in the First District of the city of Porto-Novo, administrative and political capital of Benin. Marie is married and has one child. She is a petty trader selling various items (tinned tomatoes, sardines, mosquito coils, etc.) but since she lacks sufficient capital, she is not able to restock her stall in a timely manner and thus does not manage to satisfy the needs of her clientele. To bolster her little business, she is asking for a loan.

Alidé means “there is always a path for the poorest” in Benin’s local language of Fon. Benin is a small West African country located next to Nigeria and has a per capita GDP of $1,500.  Alidé offers special loans to highly vulnerable people at an interest rate of 0%. It is part of a group that is soon launching a micro health insurance program for recipients of micro-loans.”

http://kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&action=about&id=95884

“Rasulova Ruzibibi is a hard working woman and since 2004 has dedicated herself to selling a variety of vegetables in the central market of Kanibadam. She characterized herself as happy and humble. She started her business with her savings, which she had accumulated over a long period of time. She is the mother of 4 children that she would like to offer an education to them as they are minors. Her biggest dream is to prepare her children to have professions so they don’t have to suffer like she did since childhood working hard labor. To realize this dream, Ruzibibi now requests $800 USD for the term of 6 months. With this loan she wants to buy more goods to increase her earnings.”

http://kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&action=about&id=89452

“The Las Ameritas Village Bank has twelve members and is beginning its second loan cycle. During the group’s first cycle, members were given training and educational sessions, which they are now putting into practice in their daily lives. The group members are involved in a variety of different businesses; they sell condiments, accessories, bread, dry goods, sweets, clothing and fruit, and also prepare natural juices. Some sell from home or in local markets, while others sell in the street or make home deliveries. The group members are requesting different loan amounts, like 300, 600 or 1,050 soles. The group as a whole is requesting a total of 8,400 soles. The loans will be used to buy cookies, caramels, hot peppers, cumin, bananas, papayas, bread, t-shirts and pants. Group members dream of improving and expanding their businesses, of owning their own homes or their own stores, and that their children will graduate will professional degrees.”

For more information: http://kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&action=about&id=82322