The Microfinance Club which is moderated by Tom Brady, is an offshoot of the Business & Economics Club. Student microfinance investors recently distributed over $1,000 to small businesses located in countries ranging from Honduras to Senegal to Tajikistan. Read a report from Microfinance Club organizers Brandon Feng and Jack Schaeffer on why and how they did it…

Kiva.org is an online, nonprofit organization dedicated to helping small businesses. Potential borrowers can ask for loans by posting on the Kiva website, where they describe how much money they need as well as why they need it. The borrowers then receive their money through crowdfunding, meaning their desired loan is filled out by a number of smaller donations from different people.

This is not to be confused with charity; loan recipients are expected to pay back all their loans, just without interest. However, the site is for a charitable cause. The point of the loans is to help bolster small businesses, especially in underdeveloped countries, as their development often encourages long-term economic growth as a whole. For just $25, we can make a big difference, which is why the Microfinance Club is so important, and why it is such a rewarding experience.

Delbarton utilizes this platform to enhance our learning and help others.

Through the Delbarton Microfinance Club, we have invested over $1,000 to countries ranging from Honduras to Senegal to Tajikistan.

As a club, we work to use our understanding of economics to better the world as a whole. This year we helped Jayson in the Philippines support his three children by funding his hog-raising business.

We also financed Sulma Fátima’s house-to-house clothes business in El Salvador.

Without this money, her children could not attend school. At Delbarton we have been blessed with numerous opportunities, and the Microfinance Club works to use these gifts for the betterment of others’ lives.