Causes

Businesswoman and proud Owner of McPherson Arts & Crafts, Brenda Neufeld, walked the walk, and knows the struggles and obstacles of being an entrepreneur. Not only does she understand the pitfalls and effort it takes to become a successful woman, but she also strongly believes in assisting and contributing to the well-being of fellow entrepreneurs.

MacPherson became a ‘KIVA lender’ in 2019 and created an exclusive fund that is being used to assist prospective and current entrepreneurs by offering interest free financial loans. All pay-backs on loans are ploughed back into the project, ensuring ongoing and continued support in upliftment.

Thanks to the enormous support they get from their loyal customers, they can achieve these goals of assisting and empowering entrepreneurs all over the world.

KIVA is an international non-profit organization and was founded in 2005 in San Francisco. Their main mission is to enhance financial access to underserved communities. Millions of people around the globe do not have access to banks and have no means of accessing financial services if they need to.

They do this by crowdfunding loans and unlocking capital for these underserved individuals, improving the quality and cost of financial services, and addressing the underlying barriers to financial access around the world. Through KIVA's work, students can pay for tuition, women can start businesses, farmers are able to invest in equipment and families can afford needed emergency care.

KIVA creates the opportunity to play a special part in someone else's story. At KIVA, loans aren’t just financial help - they’re a way to create a future for all who are in dire need.

MacPherson has been able to help fantastic women & men to achieve their entrepreneurial goals.

CAMBODIA

Housing

A married mom of three and struggling financially, this lady runs the family business growing rice and raising poultry at home. She has been involved in agriculture for many years and earns an average income that was not adequate to supply her family with a basic human need - a latrine. The main challenge that she faced in her business is the low crop yields caused by insects and the fluctuating prices of her products. A loan helped her to build the household latrine they so desperately needed.

 ISRAEL

Beauty Salon

This remarkable lady owns a hair salon in Kfar Yasif, North District in Isreal. Unfortunately, due to COVID 19, she had to close her Salon doors permenantly and was not able to deliver her service to her many customers. Her plan was to move her salon to her home to continue to support them. Because of restrictions she was only able to recently open her doors to the public. Our loan helped her to renovate her new salon located at home, and she was also able to buy the necessary styling supplies and material. She wishes to one day offer styling courses to other women.

 Clothing Industry

Another dynamic lady from Israel, who is in the clothing industry needed money to expand her clothing and also stocking gift items and children's clothing. During the repayment process of her previous loan, she gained much knowledge about how to manage her business and finances. Our loan to her helped her to buy new stock that she needed and to expand the various types of merchandise she wanted to obtain. Her business has grown a lot since her initial loan and she was excited to grown even more.

JORDAN

Barber Shop

Having a good name in business under the locals, this young man was in need of a steam cleanser to extend his business to include facials. Due to the instability in the region, global investors has been non existent for decades and most businesses has no means to get assistance. This loan helped him accomplish his goal and he believes that this steam cleanser will grow his clientele and income.

KYRGYSTAN

Agricultural Industry

As a hardworking woman with children, this lady was greatful for the financial support given to her that helped her increase her cattle headcount. She practices agriculture and cattle rearing as her primary source of income. She started this business in 2015 with the aim of helping her family income but can now grow it to become their primary source. She is determined to expand her business in the future and to save up to acquire more cattle.

Agricultural Industry

*** is a hardworking farmer and her main source of income for her family has been animal farming for the past 11 years. She currently has 5 cows and 10 sheep. A loan helped to buy more cattle to increase her income from cattle breeding and further developing her business. She plans to invest the profits from the cattle she bought with the loan in the expansion of the farm.

NICARAGUA

Agricultural Industry

This lady requested a loan to buy pigs to extend her farming. She has worked in this industry for many years and so she has good experience in this business.She generates a good income with which she helps support her husband with their household expenses as his income are not sufficient to this all by himself. Our loan helped her to buy the 4 pigs she needed to grow her business. It also helped getting the necessary feed and supplements they needed to get them to grow and thrive.

 USA

Women Who Matter Too

Founder of the non-profit organization Women Who Matter Too (WWMT) helps women living in desperate situations, namely instability. By providing support and guidance to a group of forgotten women, her aim is to promote the best possible outcome for their situations. Her mission is to educate, restore, and support women who struggle with instability in their lives. Our loan helped her to continue providing stable temporary housing for women living with the threat of homelessness.
church is my club resizedChurch is my Club

This lady started Christian/Faith-Based Apparel company Church Is My Club, LLC. She started her own clothing brand, “Church Is My Club™”, which is not only a clothing brand but a movement, a lifestyle. She is proud to be the first "entrepreneur" in her entire family. It is her desire to not only break the cycle of poverty and leave a legacy, but to also show that you can still succeed as you keep God first! The loan helped this wonderful lady to buy inventory and invest in a marketing campaign for her faith-based apparel business.

Alzheimers/Dementia Care

This lady’s mission is to provide quality In-home personal care assistance 24/7 to Senior and Elderly persons who are experiencing Alzheimer’s, Dementia, and Memory loss from Traumatic brain injuries. Many lack caregivers that possess attentive, caring, or even the patience needed to assist in sustaining a good quality of life. Our loan assisted her to help those who need us the most.

Domestic Violence Awareness ~ Radio Station

A true worrier and survivor of child abuse, sexual assault, and domestic violence, this amazing lady started her own radio show as a way to raise awareness for domestic violence prevention programs, and advocate for survivors. She is determined to speak for those who don't have a platform, or don't have an opportunity to be heard, and provide a platform for others to do the same. Stunner Radio is not just a business, it's her life's purpose. She hopes to continue using this platform to raise awareness and share inspiration and information. A loan helped her to upgrade equipment and grow the radio station and a small business.

No More Lead Poisoning

This lady has been providing a home inspection service and when she moved to Maryland, she saw that many people were dealing with issues regarding homes with structural damage and lead poisoning. She wants to aid in lead prevention and a portion of her revenue will be used to provide free lead inspections for low-income homes with children under 10. She wants to make sure that families get a chance to live an environmentally healthy life and that kids in places like Baltimore do not view lead poisoning as a rite of passage. A loan helped her to buy the equipment she needed and provide jobs despite COVID+19’s challenges.

 Hair Salon & Cosmetics

This small business owner of a beauty salon are located in downtown Baltimore, MD. She has a passion for hair. She is a hair stylist, hair practitioner, haircare specialist, and weaveologist. She’s a teacher, photographer, educator, mentor, and single mom to an 11-year-old boy. She has travelled to other countries such as India to develop business relationships with companies so that she could provide the best hair extensions, satin and silk scarves and pillowcases and haircare products to her customers. She also teaches the youth about self-love and worth, finance, hygiene, life and how to start a small business. A loan helped her small business to overcome the challenges of Covid-19.