Continuing to celebrate our Kivans for International Volunteer Week

April 22, 2020

By: Rachel Phandinh

With the start of International Volunteer Week, we want to continue showing gratitude for our wonderful volunteers. At Kiva, our volunteers work diligently to make an impact for our community, whether that be in the office or in the field.

Get to know some of Kiva’s volunteers through their experiences, stories and careers!

RTP Volunteer: Ronan Reodica

Ronan, originally a lender on Kiva, has been with us as a Review and Translation Program volunteer since 2010. Observing that posted loans had been translated, Ronan believed he could contribute to Kiva while also refining Spanish skills he learned in college. Time and time again, he proves to be extremely hard-working and meticulous by producing extremely accurate translations for the team. Ronan also takes the time to work within the Volunteer community by answering peers’ questions and sharing resources. He is a great example of doing meaningful work, while also refining personal and professional skill sets.

"A profile that stands out for me is one that I translated. A young Ecuadorian woman who worked full-time was requesting a loan to pay her son’s kindergarten tuition and she was also going to use the loan to help send herself back to school. She had not finished high school and had dreams of becoming a veterinarian. That struck a nerve for me because I remember what it was like to work full-time while going to school. It’s not easy."

Intern: Aparna Ananthan

Aparna’s path took her from a credit rating agency in India to working with Kiva as a Strategic Initiatives intern. During her time at the credit rating agency, Aparna witnessed first-hand that a vast amount of small companies weren’t receiving the appropriate resources for their financial needs based on low credit ratings. The disappointment that these companies felt really resonated with her. She later transitioned to a consulting firm and knew that there had to be a way to better serve companies that had a low credit rating. Upon moving to the United States, Aparna wanted to continue working in the credit field. She saw the opportunity at Kiva and thought it was a perfect match between her previous experiences and where she wanted to further develop her career.

“[At Kiva,] people care a lot about you, even your managers, they’re concerned about you. I’ve already recommended this internship to one of my friends here.”

Read about Aparna and her time as an intern.

Fellow: Idania Ramirez

Idania is our current Media Fellow who traveled throughout Latin America to meet borrowers and capture their stories. Through this, she aims to depict the immense impact that the Kiva community has generated for them. Her work as a Fellow has helped her gain a new perspective on humanity. She was able to see the pain in people’s eyes as they re-lived some of their most difficult experiences during interviews. Idania also heard people recount their tales of strength in the face of adversity and how Kiva played part in helping them succeed.

“I felt the warm humbleness of many and connected with most, regardless of the differences we have in our cultures, simply because we are all human. There’s this comfortable feeling knowing that we’re all trying to get ahead in life.”

Read about Idania’s experience as a Kiva fellow.

Warm wishes and many thanks to all of our volunteers doing good around the world! We’ll be posting more volunteer features throughout International Volunteer Week (April 19-25).

Want to join us at Kiva as a volunteer or intern? Click here for more information!