Kiva News - Something I got in the mail today

Dear Jessica D'Silva,


Thank you for supporting entrepreneurs in Ghana.

Dear Kiva Lenders,

My name is Maia Pelleg and I'm a Kiva Fellow working with Sinapi Aba
Trust (SAT) in Ghana. I completed my first placement as a Kiva Fellow in
Kenya in January, 2010 and was thrilled to embark on an experience with
Kiva and microfinance in the new context of West Africa. The initial
goals of my posting in Ghana included implementing a repayment reporting
system, facilitating a process that enables SAT to provide journal
updates to lenders, and making necessary changes to increase efficiency.

I arrived in Kumasi and quickly ascertained that Ghana's reputation for
tremendous hospitality stems from reality. The staff of SAT welcomed me
warmly and graciously offered to acquaint me with various aspects of
Ashanti society.

Unfortunately, as I discovered the kindness of SAT staff, I also found
that SAT's existing Kiva system was extremely flawed and lacked proper
management. A close look revealed that many loan amounts and terms
published on the Kiva website were incorrect. Additionally, the presence
of multiple duplicate loan postings was concerning.

Kiva took immediate action and paused SAT for fundraising on Kiva.org.
We have evaluated many aspects of the SAT partnership, and I am
confident that operational weaknesses can be corrected and adequate
management information systems can be utilized.

I have spent the last few weeks designing a new decentralized Kiva
system and have already begun implementing changes. Including loan
officers from around the country in Kiva processes serves as an
additional check as well as enables SAT to provide journal updates and
scale in the future. Central to the new Kiva platform is an internal
data system that will verify loan details and automate frequent and
accurate repayment reports. Additionally, a senior regional manager will
be stepping in as Kiva Coordinator at the end of this month.

I am working directly with SAT leadership and staff to execute
identified changes. Just this week I trained two branches and several
loan officers in how to collect borrower information and photographs for
Kiva's site. I can attest to SAT's commitment to a strong Kiva
partnership based on integrity and honesty. I am confident that we are
able to bridge any gaps that existed in SAT's process of raising funds
on Kiva.

This experience serves as a reminder of how seriously Kiva takes
transparency and accountability. I hope you will share my ongoing
confidence in SAT and more generally in microfinance. Sinapi Aba Trust
makes a real difference in the lives of low-income entrepreneurs and I
am excited to be a part of enabling them to continue their lending
footprint.

Sincerely,

Maia Pelleg

Kiva very much appreciates your responses online. You can read and
respond to this journal online at:

Joana:
http://www.kiva.org/lend/162851/comment?ent=241959&_te=j
Wonders Group:

http://www.kiva.org/lend/164482/comment?ent=241959&_te=j
Additional notes from Kiva:
1. If this journal entry is in a foreign language, please feel free to
use an online translator such as Google Translator:

(http://translate.google.com/)

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Best Wishes,

Kiva Staff