Ali, my very first Kiva borrower, Lebanon 2010

Almost $20,000 Lent Through Kiva

Since December 2010, I have been lending $25 at a time through Kiva, a platform that connects "ordinary" people like me with entrepreneurs around the world who need a small loan to purchase inventory, tools, or livestock for their businesses. I started doing this after reading about microcredit in a Dutch magazine called Quest. My very first loan went to Ali (pictured on the left/above), who needed a concrete mixer in Bint Jbeil, Lebanon. Since then, that $25 has been repaid, re-lent, repaid again, and re-lent many more times.

As I am writing this, the total amount of loans has hit $19,840, spread over 798 loans in 85 countries. That is just a stone's throw away from $20,000 — a milestone I expect to cross within the next week, so I thought that made a perfect excuse to make a little blog behind this activity, all of which I have put together on a dedicated Kiva gallery page on this site, complete with the story & numbers behind every single loan.

The same $25, over and over again

Whatever a borrower repays goes straight back into my account as relendable credit, and almost as soon as it's back in my account I lend it out again. Kiva itself illustrates the idea nicely:

Kiva's lending cycle: lend, get repaid, repeat, they thrive

The effect compounds. I worked out the real numbers from my own account history:

How the money comes back

9.2×

I have put $2,151.28 into Kiva since 2010. Because the repayments get lent out again, that same money has funded $19,840 in loans — each dollar has been spent and re-spent about 9.2 times at the time of writing.

$19,840 lent out $17,514 already repaid (88.3%) $251.88 lost (1.27%)

Repaid in full 606Paying back 71Repayment delayed 18Ended with loss 85Expired, refunded 9Still fundraising 9

Of everything I lent, 98.7% came back or is still on its way: $201.30 was lost to borrowers who could not repay and $50.58 to currency exchange. Repayments get lent out again, which is how 798 loans fit into that amount. The repaid and currency-loss figures come from my full Kiva transaction ledger (as of 2026-09-12).

Where the money has gone

85 countries across 8 world regions have received a loan from me, from Ecuador (by far the biggest, with 430 loans) to Togo, Uganda, Colombia and dozens of others just a handful of loans deep. 94% of my loans went to women, running everything from clothing stalls, shop supplies, maintenance and food stands to small farms — Retail, Food and Clothing make up over half of the 19 sectors I have lent to.

A couple of the names & activities behind these numbers: Nayeli Anai in Montecristi, Ecuador, sells clothing; Akpene in Baguida, Togo, buys beef in bulk to sell on. You can find their story and those of all the other borrowers on my Kiva gallery page, together with all the numbers.

85 countries, one loan at a time

none12-45-910-2425-99100+

Hover any country on the interactive version at arnauddeklerk.com/kiva to see exactly how many loans it received.

Having an impact

I started out with only 2 loans in 2010. In 2015 that was up to 59 loans a year; in 2023, 71. This year alone I have already made 109 loans, and 2026 is not even over yet. The two charts below — also pulled from my Kiva page — tell that story: how much money is out on loan at any given moment (it fluctuates, since it depends on how fast repayments come in), and the running total of everything I have ever sent out.

Outstanding loan amount over time

Total lent, running total

At the pace of the last few months, that line will tick past $20,000 within days.

Final thoughts:

$25 does not feel like a lot of money, and on its own it is not. But 798 of them, recycled 9.2 times over 15 years, added up to almost $20,000 that gave people a fair chance in life. They are trying to give themselves and their family a better life and we can help them with this. I picked up a handful of Kiva achievement badges along the way (Women's equality is maxed out at 7 of 7), but the real reward is knowing that these people will get the chance to increase their living standards.

Microcredit is an easy & personal way to help people create a better life for themselves. Yes, you do have the risk of "losing" (a part of) your money. But if you put it into a collection box at your door it's gone as well. Have a look at kiva.org, or browse my own lender profile and the full photo gallery for some inspiration. Here is to crossing $20,000 — and then quietly working toward the next milestone. Hopefully this inspires you to do something similar.

Gabriela Elizabeth, El Salvador - my most recent loan as of writing