HomeKiva News • Article

Behind the Scenes: Spotlight on amazing Kiva Coordinators

May 7, 2013

Without the hard work and dedication of countless individuals, Kiva could never have touched the lives of over 1 million borrowers.

Kiva Coordinators are critical to making this possible. KCs work with loan officers in the field to gather photos and stories of borrowers to post on the Kiva site -- connecting them to our community of lenders ready to help. KCs ensure that borrowers are well-represented on Kiva and are getting the funding and services they need to thrive.

So we would like to take this opportunity to highlight the work of three rockstar KCs who fuel Kiva's mission.

First, we caught up with Max -- our Field Support Specialist for Europe and Central Asia. He wanted to highlight the work of VisionFund Albania Kiva Coordinator, Bianka.

Why did you choose this KC to highlight?

Bianka is wonderful at her job -- extremely responsive, very engaged in the Kiva Program, and works hard to make sure Kiva clients’ profiles really tell their life stories and educate lenders about life/business in Albania. The profiles are well written with really good photos (mostly at clients' business/farm locations) and always include an interesting story or fact about clients.

What is your favorite thing about working with this KC?

Bianka is really passionate about her job and about helping people in Albania. She’s spent more than 20 years living in Canada and came to Albania to make a positive contribution and a difference in lives of her compatriots in Albania. She's done an outstanding job of posting great client profiles, proactively communicating to Kiva about fundraising performance of various loan theme and development new loan themes that address the needs of VisionFund Albania's clients.



We also had the opportunity to talk with Bianka herself:

What do you enjoy most about being the Kiva Coordinator for VFA?

Being part of the overall social mission of both VFA and Kiva and the impact of those loans to our clients. I also enjoy bringing the help and care of Kiva lenders to people who are in need of a little funding to improve their lives. I can’t wait to share the before and after photos with the world.

How have you been so successful at posting great profiles?

I always take into consideration the valuable feedback I receive from Kiva lenders on my postings. My passion for communicating the lives of our clients -- including their customs, culture, food, weather or geographical location -- I believe has greatly helped me post good profiles.

What do VFA's clients like most about the services that VFA offers to them?

VFA’s clients appreciate the relationship they build with the loan officers, the completion of loan applications, and client’s services at their nearest location, whether house or business.

Next, we caught up with Kathrin -- our Francophone Africa Field Support Specialist -- and found out why she chose to recognize Kiva Coordinator at WAGES, Carine.

Why did you choose this KC to highlight?

Carine is motivated, responsive and reliable. She manages the Kiva process at WAGES very well in an environment where information has to be transported by motorcycle, not email.

In what ways has this KC implemented Kiva and its policies particularly well?

Carine makes sure that repayments are reported accurately and timely. This is a big achievement because she has to collect data from several branches, some of them very remote, and the data has to be transported via motorcycle.

What is your favorite thing about working with this KC?

Her responsiveness. I know that she will follow through when I have a request.



Carine explains what motivates her as a Kiva Coordinator and how she has turned around the Kiva program at WAGES.

What do you enjoy most about being the Kiva Coordinator for WAGES?

I enjoy the being able to support the work Wages is doing in the poorest communities and the satisfaction of helping Kiva’s mission -- the most important and oldest partner of WAGES.

What do WAGES’s clients like most about the services you offer to them?

The quickness with which they get the loan. They also value the service they receive from WAGES employees. They have a very close relationship.

Lastly, Jon -- Field Support Specialist for the Americas and the Caribbean -- introduces us to Fabricio and explains why he is doing an exemplary job as the Kiva Coordinator at Prisma Honduras.

Why did you choose this KC to highlight?

Fabricio is extremely committed to Kiva’s mission, and serving those with less opportunity.

In what ways has this KC implemented Kiva and its policies particularly well?

Fabricio is very detail-oriented and organized, which results in very few issues with loans and almost no problems with the repayment reports. He understands where to find the answers to his questions, and is very familiar with Kiva’s policies.

What is your favorite thing about working with this KC?

Fabricio communicates very well and always responds quickly and professionally to all emails. He is super easy to work with, and clearly loves what he does for Kiva.



Fabricio explains why he likes his job as Kiva Coordinator and how he has found success.

What do you enjoy most about being the Kiva Coordinator for Prisma Honduras?

The best and most satisfying part of being a Kiva coordinator for an institution like Prisma Honduras is serving as a support to Honduran citizens who benefit from these types of programs so that they can realize their dreams and goals.

What do Prima Honduras’ clients like most about the services you offer to them?

Prisma Honduras clients especially appreciate the programs that benefit the community such as Green loans -- like solar panels. There are also other projects that we know our clients would like us to offer as well like water, education, and health loans. Something that Prisma Honduras clients really value is the promptness and quality of our service we offer to everyone we work with.

Without the hard work and dedication of Kiva Coordinators, Kiva's work would not be possible. We're proud to spotlight these tireless workers and wish them best of luck going forward!

Have questions about Kiva Coordinators? Send them our way at blog@kiva.org.