Directly Impact Clothing Makers with Kiva.org

"If you look at Kiva.org, people with a very modest amount of money can make a huge positive impact all around the world"  

- President Bill Clinton

One of the major themes of Fashion Revolution Day has been the disconnect between consumers and makers of fashion. The more we reconnect the links, the closer we come to a fairer future. That's why I was excited to hear from Brianna who works at Kiva - the world's largest micro-lending platform. Micro-finance is a term used to describe financial services to low-income individuals or to those who do not have access to typical banking services. It's also the idea that low-income individuals are capable of lifting themselves out of poverty if given access to financial services. Importantly, Kiva is a nonprofit organization and makes no money from the loans they facilitate.

Brianna explained to me that Kiva believes in ethical and eco-friendly business practices, greater transparency and fairer working conditions in the fashion industry. You can read about their own involvement in Fashion Revolution Day here. 

Having discovered Kindness by Design, Brianna realised that my passionate reader's would surely be interested in a simple yet powerful way to impact the makers of fashion. I agreed!

The way it works is pretty simple:

100% of every dollar you lend on Kiva goes directly towards funding loans; Kiva does not take a cut and does not charge interest to their Field Partners, who administer the loans. Click here to read about the lending process in more depth. 

So what kinds of positive change are you enabling through your loan? Let me introduce you to Pamela. 

Pamela is one of Kiva’s artisan borrowers from Kibera, Nairobi. When the single mother of four found out she was HIV positive, she started treatment for HIV and founded a support group for recently diagnosed women called the Kibera HIV/AIDS Support Initiative Program. She also taught herself to bead and now owns her own jewelry shop, which donates 50% of its profits back to newly diagnosed women in the group.   

With a loan from Kiva, Pamela was able to expand the types of goods she offers in her shop. In 2012, the average annual income per capita in Kenya was less than $950. Pamela now makes an average of $2,100 per year.  Pamela is a shining example of how a Kiva loan, partnered with hard work, dedication and belief in a better future, can empower artisans around the world. When I searched under the category 'clothing' today on Kiva, I found 300 loans available!

There are a number of other ways to support Kiva's vision of connecting people and alleviating poverty. You can join with other lenders to achieve larger goals, ask your wedding or birthday guests to donate funds, become a Kiva Fellow abroad and much more. 

You can connect with Kiva via Facebook and Twitter.  

Have you had experience with a Kiva loan or other micro-lending program? I'd love to hear about it in the comments below :-)
Disclaimer: This is not a paid post. Reviews cannot be purchased and submitting a product/service does not guarantee a favourable review. The opinions are 100% the author's own. 

Are You A Fashion Revolutionary?

The older I get, the more connections I see in the world around me. We live in a vast interconnected universe where seemingly disparate topics are in fact intimately linked on some level. Social justice, the multibillion dollar fashion industry, environmental conservation and animal welfare - all of these things come into play each time we decide to purchase an item of clothing. 

Source: Fairtrade Australia

It's kind of a scary thought isn't it? How we can unwittingly impact on the world around us without fully comprehending the consequences. 

When frightened, we have a tendency to bury our heads in the sand - an ancient survival mechanism perhaps? Creating a better, fairer world is hard. I can't tell you that if you do x y and z everything will be fine and all fashion supply chains will become transparent and equitable. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying we can't create positive change, which will lead to a socially and environmentally bright future. I know that we can do this! I just also know that it won't be easy and it won't be simple.  

Fashion Revolution Day is a great way to begin. It isn't about a quick fix, it's about starting the journey and sparking the hard yet vital conversations. 

On April 24 2013, 1133 garment workers were killed when the Rana Plaza complex collapsed in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Over 2500 were injured. Today, people all around the world are still suffering as a direct result of our fashion supply chain. This year you have the opportunity to join people in over 60 countries participating in Fashion Revolution Day as a way of saying enough is enough! 

On the 24th of April you're invited to:

1. Turn a garment inside out

2. Reveal the swing tag or label

3. Take a selfie

4. Upload to your social media of choice

5. Then tag the brand you're wearing & use the hashtags 

#WhoMadeMyClothes? and #FashRev

Be persistent! Keep asking until you receive a satisfactory answer. We want as many people as possible to question who made their clothes, to imagine the thread linking the garment to the machinists who sewed it, all the way down to the farmer who grew the cotton.  

Other ways to get involved include:

• Downloading#FashRev graphics, images, quotes, photos and posters available from the Resources page
  
• Rallying everyone in your company to turn an item of clothing inside out on the day- from the staff behind the tills to the CEO - and as much as possible share these images through social networks. Businesses around the world gearing up for their group selfies!
  
• Are you in a book club? Why not incorporate an ‘ethical fashion’ book into your group's reading list? Here's some titles to get you started
  
• Finding an ethical brand or designer and boost their profile with a feature on your blog! Celebrate the story of one of their pieces

Want to do more? Connect with your local Fashion Revolution Day team! I'm honoured to be on the Australia/New Zealand board and we would love to hear from local brands, retailers and bloggers.