Warm and Fuzzy Feelings

I want to share an email I got the other day. I can't tell you how happy it made me.

Subject: Thanks for telling us about KIVA

Hi Henrietta,

I really enjoy both of your blogs. I found Henrietta's Other Hat because of your quilting and I've been inspired by your talent.

The quilting is amazing but it was some of your non-quilting entries that really touched my heart - and then my husband's when I shared them with him. Today we made two Kiva loans because of your words and encouragement. We gave you the credit for sending us - so hopefully you'll hear from Kiva. Thanks for sharing!

Isn't that just the coolest thing? Thank YOU Melissa for taking the time to write.

I have added a new blog to my Blogroll on the right. SpiderWomanKnits do check her out, I have linked to her post about making astonishingly easy (and quick) Market Bags from Vintage pillowcases. And, also, too, she has chickens!

Check out this recipe for Killer Easy Chocolate Pudding

Now it is time for tea, my lovely vintage J & G Meakin Cornflower pattern transferware cups (bought on Bonanza for $3.50 - 2 cups 4 saucers, what a steal) fit the mood today. Wish you were here, I have two cups!

Y'all come back!

Superstition or Serendipity

This is my 13th loan through Kiva and the borrower Nancy's 13th loan too. I have a natural bias to lend to women, 8 women and 5 men to date; which I am working to correct, next loan goes to a man. In this case, whether from superstition or pure serendipity, this is where the money goes.

From Kiva:
"Nancy, aged 40, lives with her three children in her own house in Huancayo, Peru. More than six years ago she opened a food stall in her house and since then she spent every day preparing meals. Her children are grown up and help her in her business; they cook and serve meals.

Thus hard-working Nancy earns a living. She also accepts orders for large quantities when many people come together and celebrate a special event. Her work philosophy is to be always available for her customers, keep order in her business and have adequate control over her accounts. This ensures a stable income and is according to her the key to her profitable business. Therefore she intends to buy new cookware and utensils.

This is her loan No. 13 with Microfinanzas Prisma. Nancy is very happy to rely on continuous financial support, since she always repaid her previous installments on schedule. In addition, she likes being a member of her communal bank, because all her fellow members are responsible and very supportive.

She thanks those who will manage her loan, because it will be very useful to the progress of her activity. She will use the loan to invest in new utensils and plates. She will also invest part of her loan in her farm business and buy a few bags of fertilizer." (translated from Spanish by Kiva)

Y'all come back!

The Gift That Keeps on Giving

Almost three years ago I wrote on the original Red Ink Diary, (the blogger version) about my philosophy of giving and my participation on Kiva. Every time a loan was repaid I recycled the original $25 into a new loan, adding money from advertising and affiliate income to top up the available capital and enable an additional loan.

You can read updates here, and here. This post link marks the first loan to an American businesswoman and the eighth loan. Loans nine and ten are covered here and I expect to make loan number 13 by April.

Kiva Loan #11
Aiymbubu Kudaybergenova is 48 years old and has four children. She lives in Bory-Bash village, Kyrgyzstan.

Aiymbubu was born into a low-income family and from early childhood, she had to help her parents around the house and earn money at the local diary factory. Aiymbubu got married at the age of 20. Soon she gave a birth to three daughters and one son. Unfortunately, her family life was not happy and she was divorced from her husband in 1997.

As Aiymbubu became the only breadwinner for her children, she decided to start animal breeding. Using an initial amount of 15,000 Kyrgyz soms, she bought one milk cow, whose milk she sold to the dairy factory. Later on, her livestock grew and in order to reduce her expenses for the livestock's foraging, she pastured her livestock in the mountainous areas with native grasses. Now, Aiymbubu has two milk cows, two horses and 15 sheep at her farm. On the weekends, Aiymbubu and her son sells meat at the local market.

Aiymbubu is a very hardworking person, she is also engaged in sewing mattresses, cushions and coverings, which became very popular in her local area because of the low prices and good quality of her products. Now, Aiymbubu requests a loan of 50,000 Kyrgyz soms to buy two bull calves for fattening and reselling. It allows her further development of her household and business. In the future, she plans to hold her daughters’ weddings and give good dowries for them. Aiymbubu in a very positive person, who according to her motto, “nothing seek, nothing find”, makes every effort to provide her children with a prosperous life.



Kiva Loan #12

Islam Dunyamaliyev is a 43 year-old man who is married and lives in the city of Saatli in Southern Azerbaijan. He is the head of a big family. He has two daughters and one son. He sells meat and dairy produced in his cattle-breeding business at the Saatli bazaar. Before Islam started his business in 2005, his family lacked the means to cover all of their expenses. Since then the business has been the only source of income for Islam's family. His brother helps him in his business. This is Islam’s first loan from Kiva. Islam used the 1000 AZN loan to buy two cows. Now Islam has three cows. After repaying this loan Islam plans to take out another loan to buy five more cows.

Meanwhile, if you are planning on buying something at Amazon please use the advertisement box in this blog to go there. So far advertising on this blog has funded twelve Kiva loans and a Cystic Fibrosis Research donation.

Y'all come back!