Loans make a difference.

So when Peter and I were in Africa this past May, we had many conversations with people that revolved around the lack of credit. People in Africa DO not have credit cards or credit access for that matter. So then do they pay for everything in cash?? The answer is YES...everything is paid for in cash. Houses...paid for in cash. Cars...also paid for in cash. I know its not THAT foreign of a concept, but it is still crazy to think about considering I RARELY carry cash...and I CHARGE EVERYTHING!! (please note that I do pay off my credit card each month)

But then this whole lack of credit concept got me thinking...how do people pay for things they can't afford?? And then that raises the issue...well maybe they shouldn't be buying things they cant afford in the first place right? But what about school...especially university. It costs money...alot of money. And in the states soo many people are able to go onto college simply because they have access to money whether it is through loan, grants or scholarships. So then imagine what it would be like to live in a country that doesn't grant loans for university. Can you even imagine that?? Think about how many people wouldn't go onto college simply because they didn't have access to the funds. Think about how loans change a persons life...they give them an upper hand...they grant them opportunities they otherwise would NOT have.

Recently I ran across this website for an organization called Vittana. Vittana is extremely similar to Kiva - the website even looks similar and the concept is nearly identical. You can pick a person in a country that you can loan your money to and then they are responsible for paying you back so that you can loan again. However, instead of loaning money to start businesses people loan money to allow students to go to college. I have done a bit of research, but I still have many questions about how this all works out. I mean with Kiva the money is paid back within a matter of months, but with Vittana I am not too sure how long it takes for repayment to occur. I mean they are in college and I would imagine they would be there for a few years? And then I would imagine the repayments would start once they finished school and got a paying job - so then the repayment cycle would take longer. But regardless of all my questions and my lack of answers, I do know that LOANS MAKE A DIFFERENCE!! I do know that the lives of these students will be forever changed because someone decided to take a chance on them...to grant them a loan in hopes of granting them the opportunity to be educated. So check out the Vittana website and make a loan today!