"It was devastating ... to think about a person who had no access to education."City: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Languages: Spanish and Portuguese
Team: Latino Linguists
Time with Kiva: Since December of 2008, almost 3 years ago!
How did you find out about Kiva?
I have no idea how I heard about Kiva, but it was probably through NPR. Much later, I was doing research for my thesis in Colombia and I went to the website. I made a couple loans before I realized I couldn’t afford to make many loans on a student’s budget. So I put in an application to translate, and here I am!
Why did you choose to volunteer your time with Kiva?
I’ve always enjoyed volunteering. I’m especially fascinated with Latin America after traveling there for a couple years. Translating for Kiva was the perfect combination of my interests, my passions, and my unique language skills.
From where do you typically review Kiva loans?
I’m usually on my sofa or in bed. And pretty soon, I will be translating from my sofa in Argentina!
What is your favorite partner or region?
Latin America is definitely my favorite – especially Colombia. But I try to spread my love around the world by lending all over. Speaking of which, I’ve been really interested in Hluvuku-Adsema (Mozambique) lately because they are Kiva’s only Field Partner in all of Mozambique.
Tell us about a memorable profile you have reviewed.
All of the profiles are remarkable. For instance, many of Hluvuku-Adsema’s profiles talk about the level of education of the borrower – often having only completed 7th or 8th grade. Recently, I reviewed a profile where the borrower had been completely unable to attend school due to familial hardships. It was devastating for a person like me, holding two master’s degrees, to think about a person who had no access to an education.
Where is your favorite place in the world to travel?
One of my favorite places to travel is Bolivia. Seeing Bolivia in turmoil moved me deeply, making me feel very invested in their country’s future. Places I hope to travel to some day include India and Namibia.
Tell us an unusual or surprising fact about yourself.
While reading a Colombian novel in Bolivia, I realized my dream to be a literary translator.
Photo provided by Andrea Rosenberg, Volunteer Translator
