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Before and after satellite pictures from Google here.

Questions I have:

Is economic measure of sole importance?
Does the loss of a father, mother or child from the family have any long-term negative effect on the family or community?
Does the promotion of urbanization and globalization as a means to defeat rural poverty create homogenization? Is it important?
Are there more creative ways to provide the infrastructure and innovation necessary to allow the rural to stay within their communities?

Full BBC story with interviews.

I had been following the Kiva story on Sasha Dicter's blog and now it looks like it hit the NY Times.

This whole thing made me sad. It made me want to stop lending through Kiva. It made me want to stop giving to organizations that I don't really know.

Kiva had a story that touched me. I would spend time looking at photos and needs. I would pick people in places where I had a connection. I would think about the risk of non repayment and would get excited about playing a part in a person's life. I would often think back to the person I lent to. Did I play some part in helping make life a bit better for them?

Kiva broke my trust. They broke my relationship. They broke my story.

The problem with my feelings are that they are all about me rather than those postively impacted. It makes me feel ashamed of myself.

But I still don't want to lend through Kiva. I'll find someone else.

When you sell a story built on emotion, you'd better deliver. Lost trust is tough to earn back. It's a bugger that way.