Kiva Knievel

Around Christmas time, I saw a PBS Frontline story that really sunk in. It was about the Kiva organization. If you are not familiar, Kiva is a microfinance organization based out of San Francisco. They help you connect and provide small business loans to entrepreneurs in developing countries around the world. These entrepreneurs then use the loan to start or further develop a small business in ways they never could before. You can then track the loan, and even get communication from the person you helped while the loan is paid back, with interest, over the course of the next 12-15 months. Pretty awesome stuff. An average loan is around $500-$1500, but you can donate as much as you want or as little as $25. Microfinancing is getting a lot of recognition and press recently, from Oprah, Clinton’s Book, The Today Show and others. This is a quick 2min explanation from Bill Clinton about Kiva. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDLlhW9LLKc

The press is desereved, it has truly been amazingly effective. There has been over $22M raised and over 33,500 business funded world wide. Multiple entrepreneur co-ops and even villages are all responsible for each others loans, this has kept the repayment rate at an astonishing 99.87%.

I decided this was for me, and I encourage everyone to take a look. Couldn’t have been easier. I went on to the Kiva website to check it out. I saw that some people have taken their money and reinvested the returns, and have over 40 businesses they have invested in now. So I registered and started searching through business plans. It is essentially like searching through Facebook, however, each profile has a basic description of a business plan.

I searched through about 40 profiles. Food production, clothing sales, tailoring, charcoal sales, farming, shoes. Nothing too exiting. Not saying that Jemeo, Rehema, Mastula and Prossy’s catering/food production business isn’t important, but I was looking for something different. I saw an Anderson Cooper 360 on the Congo and found out some charcoal businesses have killed humans and gorillas that have tried to create sanctuaries in charcoal rich areas. I wasn’t going to invest in that. I needed something I know I could stand behind. An honest go getter. Someone who is really gonna lay my $25 on the line to achieve something great. And then I found it. Houndjo Kpomo from Tsevie, Togo in West Africa. 29 years old, wife and a couple kids, who needs to buy a motorcycle. Why? This is incredible. In between his time spent as a peanut farmer and helping his wife at her retail shop – Houndjo needed a bike to follow his dream of becoming the #1 dare devil in Togo. Really? Swear to God. How could I not support this!! His plan was to keep working with his peanuts, and use his bike as a motorcycle taxi to raise money, then travel and perform stunts - jumping various rivers, gorges and animals in Togo. Sweet.

Luckily his loan was not yet fully funded. I immediately donated to him. A couple days later I got notice that his loan was fully funded and he would have his money shortly. I didn’t quite know what to expect, all I knew was that Houndjo was a true maverick. A dare devil of the likes the world has never seen. About two weeks after his loan was processed, I got a picture of his new motorcycle and helmet he bought – complete with stars and stripes. This was actually happening.

Not too long after I got a picture and a note about a jump he did. Unlike Evil and Robbie, who jump what, parked busses? For Houndjo’s first jump he cleared five African Elephants and a snapping croc in the Volta River. Are you kidding me? A note was posted the jump as very successful, and his reputation was rapidly growing in the area.

About three weeks after his vault over the Volta, I received word of a second jump. This brought spectators who walked over twenty miles from the coast, inland to the Ouatchi Plateau to watch Houndjo – who his now being referred to as “akpaviã dzidzimevi” which translates to Descendant of Raven in Ewe. The picture is amazing. Not only did he clear three large giraffes, but he did a Superman hold mid air. This jump has catapulted his notoriety around Togo and beyond.

I can't wait to hear his next feat. It was rumored he might jump a hippo and crocodile infested portion of the Ogou River, or maybe even a section of The Fish River Canyon. I will definitely keep you posted on his accomplishments. With out a doubt, greatness has come from one small microfinance loan. Who will be the next Houndjo? You’ll have to log onto Kiva to find out.