Peter in Honduras

Well, I had given the blog up for dead. I suppose I felt that my life wasn’t changing that much and what I was writing about just felt the same every time, even if it wasn’t. However, now that I’m nearing the end of my service (79 days at the time of this writing), I’ve noticed I’ve been doing a lot of explaining about what my plans are post Peace Corps. Mass email you suggest? No, thanks: blog.

April 19^th, 2008. The date. It used to be the 20^th, but I think they changed it do to all the negative connotations of 4/20: Hitler, Columbine, Pot. So the not so notorious 19^th will be my last day of employment by Uncle Sam. Not to say that the relationship is over, though, they take care of us pretty well. My rich uncle plans to cut me a check for: 

• Airfare to the States
• The $225 a month they’ve been saving up for me since, oh, two years ago.

Plus, they throw in 30 days health coverage, extendable (read: you pay) for up to 18 months afterward. I get access to Peace Corps job contacts, letters of reference and description of service documents, plus 1 year of non competitive status for government jobs. However, like all talented government workers, I’m eyeing the private sector. 

But what a waste it would be to just hop a plane back to the old 9-5. No, you know I’m doing some traveling. The current plan is to stay in San Marcos through the town fair (April 25^th), then head to El Salvador to meet my friend Sarah Wheeler, who’s flying down. We’ll head off for a tour of Nicaragua (Leon, Masaya, Granada, San Juan del Sur, Ometepe) and Panama (Chiriqui highlands, volcanoes, Bocas del Toro, San Blas islands? The Canal). Any suggestions on places will be appreciated.

Sarah leaves me in Panama, but I believe my friend Andrea (to be confirmed) will join me for Costa Rica. I’d love more ideas for CR (Charlie?) so send me some emails. I figure a week in Costa Rica is sufficient and then it’s off to Honduras again to get my stuff (traveling light) and head on to visit Guatemala and Belize one last time (time permitting), a little of Southern Mexico (San Cristobal de las Casas) before flying out of Cancun and on to the states. I plan to arrange the flight to give me an overnight in LA (possibly June 3^rd) and then on to Seattle the 4^th. Dates are tentative. 

See a spot you fit in? Give me a holler.

Safely back in Seattle, I’m hoping to work for a summer program called DukeEngage that will run from mid June to mid August. Basically I would be coordinating a group of 15 students in their summer internships with a focus towards service in your community. I think I have a lot to offer in this respect having just completed 27 months of service and having a pretty good idea of what to do in Seattle, but if my skills don’t get me the job I’m counting on nepotism. 

So the Duke opportunity is temporary, but a good transitional job, I think. My main interest right now is in Microfinance. Last November my uncles let me join them for part of their tour with a group called Global Partnerships based out of Seattle. GP is a non profit that attracts institutional investors seeking socially responsible investments (and thus willing to accept a lower rate of return). With this money, as well as donations (they’re not 100% sustainable yet) they turn around and make loans to Microfinance partners located in countries around the world. We were in Nicaragua and I got to visit with Fundenuse in Ocotal. I think it’s in a previous blog.

Anyhow, that’s the idea. Take capital from Developed World, move it to underserved markets in the Developing World. Oversimplified, for sure, but you get the idea. So where do I come in? Well, there have to be people to make connections between institutions in the United States (Global Partnerships) and counterpart agencies in country (Fundenuse). There are many companies in this market (as we say in Spanish, it’s de moda), but a few that I’m looking at are: 

• Developing World Markets
• Microvest
• Blue Orchard
• Kiva

You can look all these up online, I’m not putting the links so that you don’t get lazy. Of all of them, Kiva has been my most recent interest. They hit on an idea that I may have talked about before, connecting people to people. 

In my personal case, I enjoy logging into my Schwab account daily to see that I’ve earned an extra nickel in the past 24 hours. However, for many, this is not as scintillating as it is for me. The solution? Create a story. You log on to Kiva.org (non-profit, no good do-gooders destroying the market for robber barons), and find your borrower:

Norma Aguilar, 28 years old, 3 kids. Owns a restaurant in Chinandega, Nicaragua. Wants to put up a little awning and buy some tables to expand her business. She also wants a deep fryer, a mixer, and a new display case whose windows don’t fog up every 5 minutes. Needs $800. 

Would you like to donate $25, $50, $75, $100?

Oh, you take credit cards? Paypal as well? I can buy a gift card for someone (great present idea, or congratulation gift for finishing Peace Corps volunteer)? 

Terrific! Now I’ve got my $25 investment in Norma’s business, as well as 12 other people who have made small to large investments. I can view the loan in my portfolio and watch as it nears maturity and as Norma makes payments. I get to see updates, the occasional picture, and finally, assuming Norma doesn’t go broke, I get my $25 back.

Genius. 

Compare this with Microplace’s new website (an eBay company). They’ve also got a good idea. You invest in Microfinance organizations in specific countries or areas of work (health, pure business, gender, etc). Here you earn a return (around 3%), but you’re lending to institutions, not individuals (note: through Kiva, you’re not actually lending to the individual either, but it sure feels like it). That’s nice, but not quite as sexy as seeing the end user story, which for me is worth the 75 cents I would earn on a $25 loan for one year at 3%.

So I see tremendous opportunity here. People want to see their money put to good use. They want to help people. They’re just lazy, and Kiva provides a great way to help people and put your money to good use without lifting a finger (except to click your mouse). I think Kiva could go even farther, perhaps connecting people with relevant skills in the United States directly with the people who are trying to improve their business (what do you think, Uncle John, do we have a market? Bakers?)

So that’s what I’m looking at right now. Suggestions, ideas, connections, donations, and job offers always appreciated. :-)