In this edition of Rooted in Impact, I want to share with you the profound insights and experiences from my recent visits with our Lending Partners, social enterprises, and Kiva borrowers across Mexico. Once again, I was reminded that amidst the uncertainties and injustices of our world, there exists a tremendous amount of collaboration and goodness and that Kiva’s impact, alongside our dedicated partners, is truly making a difference for countless people and communities.
As a leader in the nonprofit sector, I've learned that engaging directly with the communities we aim to serve is crucial. My conversations in Mexico have brought to life the stories behind the statistics, highlighting that behind every loan is a person's hope and a community's potential future. This personal engagement deepens our understanding of the challenges and successes our borrowers face, guiding our approach to ensure our efforts are as impactful as possible. It's a vivid reminder that effective leadership extends beyond decision-making from a distance; it involves listening, learning, and immersing oneself in the lives of those we seek to uplift.
The impact Kiva has made in Mexico is vast. To date, we have reached 13,714 people in Mexico through our mission to expand financial access, raising over $3.1 million in loans and support for both individual borrowers and social enterprises. I invite you to join me as we explore the significance and outcomes of this support and the transformative power of witnessing Kiva's mission in action.
Visiting with entrepreneurs who have benefited from Kiva loans
While in Mexico, I had the privilege of meeting with two entrepreneurs (connected to us through our Lending Partner Procredito) who were able to expand their businesses, improve the lives of their families, and set ambitious goals for the next stage of their entrepreneurial journey – all with the support of Kiva loans.
I met Jose, a farmer who produces corn crops in his home state of Jalisco, Mexico, who utilized a Kiva loan to purchase a hauling truck to expand his efficiency to eight tons of corn at a time. Jose shared that he works to provide a good education for his three children, and his farming business is creating the financial support their family needs. He has lived in his village, Jamay, all his life, and appreciates the tranquility and peace the quiet area allows. Above all, Jose appreciates the passion and respect the people in Jamay have for the land and the way these principles are passed down to new generations.
As a child, Jose’s parents had a small crop of corn and shared their work with him as he grew up. Inspired by what he watched and learned, he decided to build a career in agriculture, working with fellow corn producers as they harvest the fields and adapt to the changing environment. He shared that his desire to give his kids a good education is ultimately so they can have strong careers – in whatever they choose to pursue – proving that the family-centered generational approach he learned from his parents is continuing through Jose.
I was also honored to meet and speak with Víctor Daniel, a beekeeper from the same village of Jamay, located in the Mexican state of Jalisco. With a Kiva loan, Daniel grew his beekeeping operation from 300 hives to over 1000 hives, producing honey for consumers in Mexico and beyond.
Daniel shared that beekeeping was not something he envisioned for himself until he met his father-in-law, who had dedicated his life to beekeeping and shared his knowledge with Daniel. Caring for bees now fills Daniel with an immense sense of pride, as it not only has provided a strong source of income for his family, but has contributed to the biodiversity of the local environment and supported the pollination of nearby berry crops, aiding fellow farmers and producers across the region. Daniel’s ultimate ambition is to see his home city of Jamay become the leader in honey production!
Connecting with Kiva Lending Partners & social enterprises
Nilus
During my trip, I also had the opportunity to visit our partner, Nilus, a social enterprise developing technology to reduce low-income and rurally-located people's food costs through the organization of community purchasing groups, and witness first-hand the work of their amazing organization. Together with a group of Kiva colleagues, we spent time with Ady Beitler, CEO of Nilus, and a team of community leaders at their Mexico City distribution warehouse, and were able to participate in activities to spark ideas for further collaboration and hear directly from the people this work is impacting.
Earlier in 2023, I had the opportunity to meet Ady during the CGI event in NYC. Watch a video of us discussing our partnership and learn more.
Since its founding, Nilus has delivered 26 million meals to 585,000 people, generating an average grocery savings of 21% per family and creating a monthly income for the community leaders that help distribute the meals in their local communities. Nilus initially launched in Mexico City, and after the success of the program, have since expanded to Buenos Aires and have plans to move into Guatemala, Peru, Colombia, and Brazil.
Watch a 90 second overview of Nilus’ work by CEO Ady Beitler
During his presentation, Ady shared something profound with us: that after the investment boom of the early years of the pandemic, when the venture capitalists had moved on and ended their early stage investments, that the only support Nilus had left was that of social impact investing organizations. If it weren’t for Kiva and a few select other social impact organizations, Ady shared, Nilus would not have been able to continue offering their innovative, cost-saving community grocery program. This fact ignited a spark of motivation for the Kivans gathered together in the Nilus warehouse, rooting us in our mission even further and generating a wealth of ideas to expand our support of social enterprises like Nilus around the world.
Conserva, Someone Somewhere, and Sistema.bio
In addition to my onsite visit with Nilus, I had the chance to hear from a panel of leaders representing both Lending Partners and social enterprises that Kiva works alongside in Mexico. The panelists included:
Miguel Sanchez KC, Socorro Hernadez CFO, Manuel Reyes CCO from Conserva, a Lending Partner which works together with Kiva across both our Kiva.org loans and Kiva Capital and who works primarily with women borrowers in the southern states of Mexico
Antonio Nuño from Someone Somewhere, a social enterprise supported through Kiva with a mission to lift millions of artisans out of poverty through job creation and sustainable, regenerative material use.
Alemendra Ortiz-Tirado, Latin American Director from Sistema.bio, a social enterprise and Lending Partner manufacturing and distributing small-scale, affordable biodigester systems that transform livestock waste into organic fertilizer for crops and biogas that fuels cooking, heat, and electricity
Hearing directly from each partner and social enterprise was invaluable. A resounding takeaway across each panelist was how critical Kiva’s support has been for their organization as they continue expanding their services to reach more people through their life-changing work.
I learned about how Sistema.bio is not only equipping small, sustainable farms with the tools they need to turn waste into organic fertilizer and fuel, but are also doing so with a dedication to sustainability practices that center the farmer and the health of the local ecosystems. I got to hear the outcomes of Someone Somewhere’s $100,000 social enterprise loan (funded by over 2,800 Kiva lenders!) and how it is helping them expand their facilities to support over 230 local artisans in producing 10 million climate-neutral products and connecting them with a global marketplace. And Conserva shared the impacts of the $2.5 million in Kiva loans raised since our partnership launched, reaching over 3,600 borrowers of which 81% are women.
Looking ahead
These moments together with our partners and borrowers further root the connections we make each day in the virtual world; they reinforce our values, remind us of the focus and needs of the communities we serve, and invigorate us about the collective power we wield when we come together with a common purpose of expanding financial access. In a world that’s increasingly digital, the value of human connection has never been more apparent, particularly as I continue to collaborate with the full Kiva team to scale our work to reach even more communities. As we continue to evolve and adapt, the lessons learned from my in-person partner and borrower visits will guide us, shaping the way we work, innovate, and impact the world.
