It feels good to see supporters of kiva here. Glad this was brought up @inertia
I'm a college student with limited income, and with $300 in capital, I've made loans to 68 countries-- many Americans can't list that many countries, nevertheless identify someone within each one they've helped.

While my $25 contribution can be 1/10 or 1/100 of a total loan, I'm one of the lucky few that are privileged enough to see what would've been a shopping trip to the mall become a contribution in alleviating a life from poverty.

There's a lot of empirical data on the benefits of microfinance; from the injection of capital for aspiring entrepreneurs, to the respect accorded to women and young individuals taking care of their families and communities. Chances are, I can't afford to loan $1000 to an entrepreneur. But, I can loan $25 and join 39 other lenders to make up that shortfall. And when that borrower repays back, they can use their increased income to invest in themselves again-- and I can invest their capital in starting that wave elsewhere. And like lazy Americans we are, Kiva re-lends the money paid back to me automatically, and instead of sitting in a bank account, its helping the lives of people worldwide.