KIVA Project - Joe Mollberg

DL Breakfast Rotary 6/17/25

Speaker Joe Mollberg, a teacher in DL, discussed how he incorporates the KIVA project into his 8th-grade classes. KIVA provides microfinance loans to people worldwide. DL has given over 1293 loans to 63 countries, mostly $25 but some $50-$100, totaling $37,225. Donations are made through a website where you can select a person or project to lend to. Money is combined with other lenders until the requested amount is reached. When the recipient repays, the lender receives a notification and can cash it out or resubmit it for another person or project.

Joe showed a sample lesson featuring a Bolivian family. They had two cows that helped plow their fields, but one died, reducing their crop yield. They applied for a loan and used the money to purchase a tractor for growing crops. This lesson teaches students how small acts can change lives and provides geography lessons by allowing them to select projects from various countries. Many loan requests are under $1000, so combining $25 from multiple lenders can make a significant impact. Joe encourages us to visit kiva.org for more information and to support projects.

Joe then rushed to the hospital to witness his wife’s induction for their third child.