I am happy to announce that Kiva will be launching very soon in a new country – Kyrgyzstan. We have been working very hard for the past several months to bring this new partner on board and to expand microfinance further in Central Asia - so this is very exciting news here at Kiva.
For those unfamiliar with Kyrgyzstan, I've included some resources below. By all accounts, Kyrgyzstan is a beautiful, mountainous country with a rich history dating back thousands of years and a crossroads between Asia and Europe, which means a melting pot of different ethnic groups. To brush up on your knowledge before Mol Bulak posts the first loans, visit: CIA World Factbook, Wikipedia - Kyrgyzstan or the Lonely Planet.
To tell you a little about Mol Bulak - it is a 4-star microfinance institution on the Kiva risk rating system and a very socially focused organization that works primarily with low income, female borrowers. The staff at Mol Bulak is busy preparing their operations to begin working with Kiva and doing some really creative things with their Kiva program - like setting up a local internship program with university students in order to give students an opportunity to practice their English skills as well as providing local jobs.
Mol Bulak staff is incredibly excited to begin work with Kiva, and to be the first ever Kiva Field Partner in Kyrgyzstan, so expect to see their first loans very soon!
For more information about Mol Bulak, you can check out their website.
