The first of the Kiva loans starting being repaid today. Mr. Kouassi Houessou began repaying the 500 bucks he borrowed for a new freezer for his ice cream business in Togo and Madam Akossiwa Agbemaple made a repayment of 75 dollars on the 450 she used to build up her charcoal sales business, also in Lome, Togo.

To me this is very inspiring stuff. I expect all the loans I have made to be completely repaid and these business to flourish. When the money comes back, I will loan it out again so it can help more entrepreneurs who don't have access to traditional financial institutions. I highly encourage you to loan, even the smallest amount, 25 dollars, can make a huge difference, and it will make you feel great.

To read more about Kiva go here. To start a loan, just go the Kiva home page and sign up for an account. If you don't want to sign up for an account for some reason, just send me the money and I will loan it for you. One person has already done this and I've been sending her regular updates on the progress of her loans. Planning on giving someone money for a birthday or whatever? Why not fund a loan in their name? When the money is repaid, they can decide what to do with it. Whatever way you do it, it will be one of the best things you'll ever do in your life.