if you're looking for a good deed of the day..

[nadine]

Here is a website where you can microfinance loans.. like $25 to places like Afghanistan or Ghana. You don't get interest though, and there is no guaranteed repayment.

http://www.kiva.org/app.php

Nicholas Kristof wrote about the site in the NY times, unfortunatly it's a timesselect article.

from kiva's website:

We let you loan to the working poor

Kiva lets you connect with and loan money to unique small businesses in the developing world. By choosing a business on Kiva.org, you can "sponsor a business" and help the world's working poor make great strides towards economic independence. Throughout the course of the loan (usually 6-12 months), you can receive email journal updates from the business you've sponsored. As loans are repaid, you get your loan money back.

We partner with organizations all over the world

Kiva partners with existing microfinance institutions. In doing so, we gain access to outstanding entrepreneurs from impoverished communities world-wide. Our partners are experts in choosing qualified borrowers. That said, they are usually short on funds. Through Kiva.org, our partners upload their borrower profiles directly to the site so you can lend to them.


We show you where your money goes

Kiva provides a data-rich, transparent lending platform for the poor. We are constantly working to make the system more transparent to show how money flows throughout the entire cycle. The below diagram shows briefly how money gets from you to a third-world borrower, and back!

[James Snacker]

You can watch Señor Kristof in all his resplendent glory via NYT video.

http://video.on.nytimes.com/ifr_main.js ... 8994587176