Each Kiva Fellow, at the end of his or her placement, composes a note to all of people who lent money to clients of their partner microfinance institution. This is what I wrote:
My name is Alexis Ditkowsky and I am writing to you today to thank you for your generous support of microfinance clients served by Women’s Development Businesses (WDB) in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa. I served in the 14th class of Kiva Fellows and was the second Fellow placed in South Africa.
Over the past three months, I have seen for myself the impact that small loans have had on the lives and businesses of rural Zulu women. While each woman’s situation was different, most were supporting multiple family members with their earnings, most were eligible (and enthusiastically used) government child support grants to send the children in their care to school, many had lost multiple family members to premature death (I never asked why but KZN has the highest HIV infection rate in South Africa, estimated at 40% for women aged 15-49), and all of the women I met just wanted to see their family well fed, living in a sturdy home, educated for as long as they wanted to be in school, and taking advantage of the opportunities they did not have for themselves.
If you haven’t yet had the opportunity to explore the posts about South Africa on the Kiva Fellows blog, I encourage you to take a moment to read more about specific borrowers, life in KZN, and what WDB has been working on during their pilot partnership with Kiva. Here’s a list of posts from my time in the field:
Spazas + Tuck Shops: Corner Stores in South Africa
Photos from KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Database Detective: South Africa Edition
The Meaning of “Now” in South Africa
Next Steps for Kiva’s Partner in South Africa
First Borrower Visit (Take 350+)
A Hand-Delivered Kiva Fellow
Drawings from Training and Greetings from Boston
I’ll leave you with a short video that provides a snapshot of the gratitude WDB’s clients express at the start of their group meetings. The hymn translates to:
Thank you, Lord, for this wonderful grace
We raise our hands
With our knees we bow
With our mouth we sing
For this wonderful grace
From all of the borrowers who have benefited from your support, Siyabonga! (We thank you!)
Alexis Ditkowsky, KF14, South Africa
Tags: Business, Family, HIV, Kiva, Kiva Fellows, Microfinance, Photography, Photos, Pictures, Rural Women, South Africa, Spaza, Zulu Women
