There are many things we can spend P1,000 on. On a regular day, the list would include essentials and luxuries for us, our families, our friends. But strangers? Unlikely.

When you next find yourself in a “giving to strangers” mood, consider taking your credit card and heading over to Kiva.org. Kiva is a non-profit that helps alleviate poverty through microloans. It’ll accept your minimum $25 contribution, and you can choose the loan project that your money goes to.

Over 600,000 people have become “Kiva lenders,” and they’ve contributed to giving over $200 million in loans since Kiva was founded in 2005. I put in my first (and only) $25 in 2009, and chose to fund a woman’s fruit and vegetable business in Cameroon. I was “paid back” (meaning my money was credited back to my account) in several months, and I had the option of re-lending it to other projects. Since then, I’ve funded recycling, livestock, and food stall projects in the Philippines, and the last one is $2 away from being fully paid back.

What did my P1,000 do? It helped at least four women get their lives back on track. And it’ll keep doing that. I don’t earn interest off this loan, but knowing what it can do, and what it’s already done — that’s priceless anyway.

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