http://kccasavant.wordpress.com Just another WordPress.com weblog Fri, 02 Oct 2009 00:46:01 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ http://s2.wp.com/i/buttonw-com.png http://kccasavant.wordpress.com http://kccasavant.wordpress.com/2009/10/02/motivation-statement/ http://kccasavant.wordpress.com/2009/10/02/motivation-statement/#comments Fri, 02 Oct 2009 00:35:06 +0000 kccasavant http://kccasavant.wordpress.com/?p=3 ]]> For the last year and a half, Microfinance has been both my passion and my focus of study. As an undergraduate at the University of Arizona in the International Studies department we are required to complete a senior thesis on a subject that highlights our range of knowledge acquired over the past 4 years. I chose Microfinance first because I was anxious to research its impact on economic development and second because it’s a subject that combines my interdisciplinary studies; French, Mathematics, Political Science, Economics, and development. Choosing microfinance allowed me to use my own undergraduate studies to understanding the impact of Microfinance in West Africa and around the world.
A year and a half of research went into a 52page written work. Inside I detailed the impact that microfinance has had on entrepreneurial activity which has contributed to the economic development of Senegal. I pulled knowledge from such influential microfinance developers as Mohammed Yunus, Armendariz (“The economics of Microfiance”), Versluysen (“Defying the Odds”), and many more. I also researched data from numerous websites and databases such as the World Bank, OECD, USAID, MIX market, Microcapital.org, and Kiva.org.
Kiva stuck out in my mind because of its innovative way of connecting small entrepreneurs with willing donors through the Internet. My first microfinance loan was made through kiva.org. I was excited by how easy it was to support someone so far away. Knowing the joy it brought me to reach out to someone who needed my small $25 loan led me to explore Kiva’s organization. My loan wouldn’t have been possible if there weren’t for willing volunteers, the Kiva Fellows, that bridge the miles by generating profiles and working with Microfinance Institutions. I have a very scholarly understanding of microfinance, but I’m ready to acquire some practical experience, and I would be honored to do so while supporting Kiva. Offering my time and skills while getting real world experience would be a joy, which is why I would like to be a Kiva Fellow.
I am currently in the process of applying for a Fulbright Scholarship to research microfinance in Senegal. If I receive the grant I will be heading to Senegal in the Fall of 2010 to work with SEM-fund (Senegal Ecovillage Microfinance fund) who is a partner of Kiva. My research is centered on the process of a micro business growing into medium or large enterprise. The goal of the project is to facilitate this transition by working with larger banks to provide adequate information about borrowers that do not have collateral. Working as a Kiva Fellow in West Africa would give me a little background and provide cultural adjustment by interviewing and working with small entrepreneurs and Microfinance institutions on site.
My own dedication to microfinance would be an asset to the Kiva Fellows program as I am motivated to research and communicate my findings. I know that my dedication and commitment to service would positively serve this organization.

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