I'm glad I finally did it

The Setting: My friend Cindy gave me a very cool birthday gift - a gift certificate from Kiva.org.

Kiva describes itself like this:

Kiva is the world's first person-to-person micro-lending website, empowering individuals to lend directly to unique entrepreneurs around the globe.

Basically, Kiva allows you to make a small loan ($25-$50) to an individual who is attempting to get a business started in their community. For example, someone might be trying to start up a restaurant or open a store but she just doesn't have the money to get things going. With your loan and loans from others, she can get the business started and eventually pay you your money back. After she pays you back, you can then loan the money to someone else to help them get their business started.

I think it's a great idea. A few friends had told me about Kiva before but I admit that receiving the gift certificate made me take a closer look and actually get involved.