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- The Bz Micro-loan project
- Toyoko Inn reading
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- Learning from home
The Bz Micro-loan project with KIva
Micro-loans are small loans to people, usually in the developing world. In October, 2018, our class did a micro-loan project. This is our second year to do this. Most of the money we loaned was the money that had been repaid from last year's project.
We used KIVA.org, a U.S.-based organization that makes it possible for regular people to make micro-loans to small-sized entrepreneurs.
Resources for teachers: For teachers who want to do something like this with your classes, CLICK HERE for a PDF of the worksheet we used. It includes reference to dollar amounts in Japanese Yen. CLICK HERE for the version that doesn't mention yen. If you want a docx copy of the worksheet, email me: marchelgesen(at)gmail.com.
(Note that, although this requires and investment by the teacher initially, it should be fairly self-sustaining since the loans will be repaid [hopefully], providing capital for next year's students to continue the project).
About our project: For In our project, students worked in pairs or groups of three. They read about KIVA's mission. Each group got U$25 in credit. They evaluated candidates for the loans, reading about the borrower's situation and goals (in most cases, business goals). So our students were actually acting as businesswomen making real business decisions.
Each group identified 3 candidates for their loan, decided which candidate would get the loan and why.
If future months, we'll follow up, noting which loans are being repaid, reading reports from the borrowers, etc.
These are the candidates we decided to help fund this year:
These are the results from last year. Most of the loans are already repaid or are paying back. Only one is deliquent (which, of course, is a reality in the business world). This project is very much like real life.
Our loans by location.
Our loans by business sector.
Our loans by gender.
It probably isn't surprising that the students decided to mostly loan to women. We are a women's university so do have an orientation toward supporting women. But also, around the world, many micro-loans go to women. For example, Grameen Bank, micro-loan bank in Bangladesh founded by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, gives 97% of its loans to women.
It probably isn't surprising that the students decided to mostly loan to women. We are a women's university so do have an orientation toward supporting women. But also, around the world, many micro-loans go to women. For example, Grameen Bank, micro-loan bank in Bangladesh founded by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, gives 97% of its loans to women.