Giving Back...

This is a letter I received the other day regarding my KIVA loan. It helped put things into perspective...

Dear Lorna Ketler,
This is an update on your loan to Sreypov Chim in Cambodia.
On the Koh Dach Island on the Mekong River, I visited Sreypov on a Tuesday morning. With me was Sothea, a friendly credit officer working for MAXIMA, one of Kiva’s four partner microfinance organizations in Cambodia. As a Kiva Fellow at MAXIMA, I travel with loan officers and company employees to meet borrowers and see the impact of microfinance firsthand.

When Sothea and I pulled up to Sreypov’s house, Sreypov was seated by her loom while her son, Mia (age 5), played nearby. In this video, you can see Sreypov weaving two-toned purple fabric while Mia watches. I say“Suis-stye!” to Mia, which means “Hello!” Link to video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whLIEyBTwos

This is Sreypov’s third loan with MAXIMA, but her first loan on Kiva. She borrowed $300 to buy silk thread, which she purchases in Phnom Penh.She pays $53 for 1 unit of silk. She weaves from 7 am until 10 or 11 am,when she makes lunch for her family. She starts weaving again around 1or 2pm, finishing in the evening around 5pm.

It takes Sreypov 2-3 days to make one kabun. (1 sheet of silk, about 3.8meters long). If she’s busy, it could take her 4 days to complete a kabun. Four months ago, she could sell each kabun to a middleman for$10. Now, prices have dropped and she sells her silk for $8. She guessed that the economic problems were causing her prices to fall, because people aren’t buying silk as often. She hopes that conditions will improve, as it affects her ability to support her family.

With the money she makes from her silk, Sreypov purchases food for her family and pays for the school fee to send her son to school. She also uses some money to pay her loan back. Although she pays her loans back on time, she is dependent on the market for her products to sell at a good price.
Before leaving to visit more weavers on the island, I thanked Sreypov for her time and wished her success: “Some nang lo’ah!” – Goodluck!