Kiva's response

[arielmeow]

It's actually pretty good. And yeah, it's the cultural lens.

Hello Ariel,

Thanks so much for your email.

At Kiva, we trust our field partners (microfinance institutions) to determine whether or not a loan request is appropriate, as long as the loan falls into our permitted loan activity.

We trust our field partners to make these decisions, because they are familiar with the communities and cultures where our entrepreneurs live and work.  Whereas, a loan might seem offensive to one person, it may be perfectly reasonable in another cultural context.

I'm sorry to hear that you won't be joining other lenders on Kiva.org, but I understand and respect your decision.

Best wishes,
Ben Ewing

Kiva Customer Service
www.kiva.org
Loans That Change Lives