Inspired to do something to help the world’s poor help themselves, Jessica Jackley founded Kiva in 2005. Following the work of Muhammad Yunus and others in micro-finance, Kiva allows people to lend small amounts of money to entrepreneurs around the globe.
More than a million people have made loans totaling nearly half a billion dollars, with a repayment rate of over 99%. The loans help entrepreneurs buy materials and pay other startup costs. Check out their stories here.