This is an invitation to all GEC members to join our brand new team on Kiva, a microlending service that provides small loans to people in need all of the world. You can do this on your own, or work with a team of people based on an interest or affiliation. Many schools are using Kiva to promote service learning. 

The idea is that you make a loan of at least $25 to a person you select from the Kiva web site. You browse profiles, and choose people by the purpose of the loan or the region of the world. Participants are required to pay back the loan to you over time, and then you can re-purpose your original donation and lend to another deserving individual or group. 

Make sure you dig into Kiva's site and try it out yourself. The statistics, profiles and maps within the site are very interesting and make for great discussion starters with kids about global economics and poverty.

For more information, check out this wikipedia article on microcredit.