Be a small part of microfinance

I lent $25 to a businesswoman who runs a food stand in Cambodia through Kiva.org.  At least I thought I did.

As it turns out, the money didn't go directly to Mao Yan whose grown children work in garment factories.  Yesterday I learned this in a column by Ron Lieber in the NY Times:

KIVA When you sign up to be a lender at Kiva, your money does not go directly to the entrepreneurs whose requests appear on the Web site. Instead, a microfinance institution administers the actual loan.

Often, these...