Giving Back
I thought it would be fun to spotlight one of the individuals that I have recently chosen to give a micro loan to through Kiva.com (see the Giving Back section of my website for more information about Kiva’s global mission).
LILY
So this is going to sound like I made it up, it’s so cool and crazy and a true story. I initially chose Lilly as a loan recipient because she is an artisan from Peru which was a region that I hadn’t made a loan to yet. I also loved her story. Lily’s grandson received therapy for fine motor skills and she became immersed with the manual training while “playing games” with him. She realized that in letting imagination run wild, she could create beautiful things. She and her daughter found immense peace and satisfaction in creating art.
Lily’s story on Kiva.com included the following statement which touched me in a special way:
"Thank you for always helping me to grow! At my age it is very complicated to find a place to sell my products but the good thing is that you have always supported people like me who seek to excel despite the years. With this loan I will grow my catalog and bring new models that customers can love and know much more of what Peru is."
This is the CRAZY part! I realized after I had made the loan that Lily sold her jewelry on NOVICA. I LOVE NOVICA! Several years ago, my husband gave me a beautiful and very unique ring for Christmas. He told me he had discovered a website called NOVICA that sold the work of artisans from around the world and that is where he purchased it from. Guess who made my ring? Lily!!! That’s one for the book of Karma.
Lily creating new jewelry and a picture of my ring purchased several years ago!
Use the link below to view Lily's silver jewelry on the NOVICA site:
http://www.novica.com/kiva/4395/