≡ Libro Gratis The International Bank of Bob Connecting Our Worlds One $25 Kiva Loan at a Time Bob Harris 9780802777515 Books

The International Bank of Bob Connecting Our Worlds One $25 Kiva Loan at a Time Bob Harris 9780802777515 Books

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The International Bank of Bob Connecting Our Worlds One $25 Kiva Loan at a Time Bob Harris 9780802777515 Books

Bob Harris had what many might consider a dream job, paid to stay in and write reviews of some of the best hotels in the world. But in Dubai, he came face-to-face with the reality of the disparity between the extremes of wealth and poverty, and he began looking for a way to use his modestly privileged life to help improve the lives of those less fortunate. The tool he found for doing this was the mico-lending portal at Kiva.org. For as little as $25, he could help finance a loan to an entrepreneur halfway around the world, empowering them to improve their business and their life.

Curious to see how his hundreds of loans were impacting the lives of the clients, Harris set see the results for himself. He visited countries in South America, Africa and Asia, meeting representatives of the lending institutions that partner with Kiva and with actual loan recipients, hoping to see that his loans and those of other Kiva users are actually making a difference. While such micro-loans are not a panacea that will solve all the world's issues of poverty, he did find that they are a powerful tool for improving the lives of people living in poverty. Used together with programs to improve infrastructure, address government transparency and accountability and other efforts, such financial tools as micro-lending can truly make a difference in the lives of people in some of the poorest places on the planet.

This book describes the author's experiences, from that initial encounter in Dubai, to his travels to document the impact of his loans through Kiva, as well as his interactions with the Kiva community itself. He relates his stories with a great deal of empathy and compassion, combined with a generous dose of humor. He make a compelling case for participating in micro-lending, and his optimistic view of the future is infectious. For people who already lend through Kiva (or some other micro-lending platform), this book is going to provide validation for their efforts. For those who question the merits of such efforts, this might provide insights that will help them decide how they feel about such programs. Even if the reader isn't persuaded to join the Kiva effort, hopefully this book will inspire them to find their own ways to reach out to others, to make the world a better place.


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The International Bank of Bob Connecting Our Worlds One $25 Kiva Loan at a Time Bob Harris 9780802777515 Books Reviews

This book is fun to read. On the flip side, it has a serious undertone, answering questions that we have in our mind but never dared to ask or not knowing who to ask. This is also the main motivation of why Bob wrote this book because he wanted to know this himself. Once upon a time, I was keen to donate money to help those people that are more unfortunate than we do but later on, my friends would say to me that most of the donated funds would be used towards offsetting the administration cost and not to the people who desperately need them. Then, there was this incident in China regarding the Supervisor of Red Cross misappropriated the fund that was meant to be used to aid the earthquake victims to buy herself a fancy car and luxury goods. So, it's quite understandable why many good-intentioned people of the world are ambivalent towards helping others when they can't be sure if it is to be a scam or not. This book doesn't simply tackle on KIVA but it also dabbles on other micro-finance organisations that are strong in certain countries. Bob tried to write a balanced book & it does tackle on certain loans that got written off. The Appendix section and the footnotes sections of the book are VERY comprehensive. This book truly can be used as a reference book for those of us that want to make a difference. There are many pictures here of Bob taken with the people that have received fundings from Kiva. Highly recommended.
I have to agree with Joss Whedon about "The International Bank of Bob." He says that "No book this important should be this delightful." He's right. Bob Harris' new book tackles huge issues like economic disparity and global poverty by bringing them down to a human scale.
Bob found himself staying in one of the most luxurious hotels in the world, courtesy of ForbesTraveler.com. Just outside, he saw construction crews working twelve hour shifts for miniscule wages in 110 degree heat. Faced with the stark contrast, Bob wondered if there was anything one guy could do to make a difference.
He found Kiva.org, a website where anyone can lend $25 to entrepreneurs in some of the poorest regions of the world. Bob began to make loans. A lot of loans. But were they actually helping people improve their lives? He decided to find out. Most of the book follows Bob on his travels around the world to visit Kiva borrowers and talk to people at the local microfinance institutions (MFIs) which actually make the loans.
Readers will certainly learn a lot about microfinance from "The International Bank of Bob," but it's about more than that. As the self-described "average Ohioan" meets a seamstress in Tanzania, a furniture maker in Sarajevo and a dairy farmer in Kenya, he finds more similarities than differences. Like his own hard-working father, the entrepreneurs who get microloans through Kiva are trying to build a better future for their families. By researching the impact of microfinance, Bob discovers the resiliency and interconnectedness of people all over the world.
The International Bank of Bob Connecting Our Worlds One $25 Kiva Loan at a Time
Bob Harris had what many might consider a dream job, paid to stay in and write reviews of some of the best hotels in the world. But in Dubai, he came face-to-face with the reality of the disparity between the extremes of wealth and poverty, and he began looking for a way to use his modestly privileged life to help improve the lives of those less fortunate. The tool he found for doing this was the mico-lending portal at Kiva.org. For as little as $25, he could help finance a loan to an entrepreneur halfway around the world, empowering them to improve their business and their life.

Curious to see how his hundreds of loans were impacting the lives of the clients, Harris set see the results for himself. He visited countries in South America, Africa and Asia, meeting representatives of the lending institutions that partner with Kiva and with actual loan recipients, hoping to see that his loans and those of other Kiva users are actually making a difference. While such micro-loans are not a panacea that will solve all the world's issues of poverty, he did find that they are a powerful tool for improving the lives of people living in poverty. Used together with programs to improve infrastructure, address government transparency and accountability and other efforts, such financial tools as micro-lending can truly make a difference in the lives of people in some of the poorest places on the planet.

This book describes the author's experiences, from that initial encounter in Dubai, to his travels to document the impact of his loans through Kiva, as well as his interactions with the Kiva community itself. He relates his stories with a great deal of empathy and compassion, combined with a generous dose of humor. He make a compelling case for participating in micro-lending, and his optimistic view of the future is infectious. For people who already lend through Kiva (or some other micro-lending platform), this book is going to provide validation for their efforts. For those who question the merits of such efforts, this might provide insights that will help them decide how they feel about such programs. Even if the reader isn't persuaded to join the Kiva effort, hopefully this book will inspire them to find their own ways to reach out to others, to make the world a better place.