You may have noticed the box at right that says "Make a loan Change a life". It’s on every page, although the borrower will change from page to page. I discovered Kiva a few months ago, through a travel forum I check in on from time to time. The concept amazed me, as I’ve been hearing so much about micro-finance the last few year, but never knew there was a way I could personally get involved in it. Until I discovered Kiva.

For those unfamiliar with the term, micro-finance "is the supply of loans, savings, and other basic financial services to the poor." Micro-finance offers poor people access to basic financial services such as loans, savings, money transfer services and micro-insurance. People living in poverty, like everyone else, need a diverse range of financial services to run their businesses, build assets, smooth consumption, and manage risks. See the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP) for more information.

The attraction, for me, of micro-finance is the fact that it goes directly to people who are trying to improve their lives. It’s not just a hand-out, which keeps poor people poor, but it helps them work themselves out of poverty.

So, it’s a great idea, but how do we get involved? That’s where Kiva comes in. Kiva connects potential lenders with entrepreneurs in the developing world. Each month, Kiva posts hundreds of loan requests by budding entrepreneurs around the world, some of whom are highlighted in the box I carry on this site. You select which ones you want to loan to, and the loan amount. The typical loan required is around $1,000 but you don’t need to fund the entire amount. Other Kiva members will contribute as well until the entire amount is raised. In February, Kiva distributed a total of US$3.5 Million in loans, which considering the times we’re in is quite amazing.

If you’re still not sure what a small loan can accomplish in a developing country, then watch the video below about a recipient in Nepal:

By the way, I fund my Kiva loans from the proceeds I make from my web sites, so every time you book a tour or a hotel, or click on a Google Ad, you’re also helping to fund poverty alleviation in the developing world.

You may have noticed that I’ve been making a lot of changes to the POSH guide lately. These changes range from a few cosmetic tweaks to the look and feel of the site to more significant changes, such as the addition of this news feed. But the most significant change is a lot more subtle.

When I first conceived the POSH guide, I envisioned it as a complete stand-alone travel guide highlighting the best of Southeast Asia. In many ways, that’s still my goal, but replicating – and more importantly maintaining – a second complete guide alongside my Asia For Visitors guide simply isn’t sustainable. So, I’ve decided to focus the POSH guide exclusively on selecting the best hotels, finding the best private tour guides, and other luxury travel secrets. As such, the POSH guide will form a complement to Asia For Visitors, which will continue to work at being the most complete travel guide to Southeast Asia.

I’ve already updated the Bali, Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Hanoi guides to reflect this new focus. The rest of the guides will be updated shortly, and then I can set about expanding the guides to include more destinations.