The $10 Million Giveaway?

Move over Sally Struthers. Three young entrepreneurs found an easier way to raise millions for struggling businesses almost anywhere in the world. But don’t call it a handout -- it’s a loan. And, it’s funded by everyday people, like you, $25 at a time.
By KEVIN SITES, TUE AUG 21, 3:27 PM PDT

In their office in San Francisco's Mission District, Matt and Jessica Flannery and Premal Shah work with the fervor and techno savvy of an Internet startup aiming for an IPO. But they aren't chasing the cash for themselves.
Matt and Jessica Flannery and Premal Shah bring a youthful vibe to the world of microfinance.
They're doing it for Esther Egbulu in Nigeria, a mother of six who wants an $800 loan to stock her shop with frozen chickens and turkey, or 31-year-old Choeun Sonin, who's requesting $1,000 to purchase a motorcycle taxi — just two of 15,000 entrepreneurs from 36 countries that their company, Kiva, has already helped.

Kiva, which means "unity" in Swahili, is a lending organization with a twist: Anyone with a bit of money and an Internet connection can step forward as a microlender to assist struggling third-world entrepreneurs get out of poverty.

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