Anecdoted

Re-posted from the Kiva Fellows Blog.

Having followed the recent debate over Kiva’s transparency and the P2P model, the main critique that stuck with me was that there should be more transparency on Kiva’s partner MFIs. This resonated with me because I believe that Kiva has, on the whole, picked out partner MFIs that do amazing work and have really compelling stories to tell about their organization. So in that spirit, I’ve decided to share more details here about some of the products and services that my host MFI, Hagdan sa Pag-uswag Foundation, Inc. offers. In addition to lending, Hagdan also offers a mandatory savings program, insurance programs, and leadership/business trainings. Hagdan also runs community development programs out of a different part of the organization.

Before I dive into those services though, I want to devote this post to HSPFI’s interest repayment policy. Over the last six weeks I’ve realized that my understanding of the details is sadly lacking. So one weekend when I was in the office, I grabbed Sir Melchie Badion, HSPFI Internal Auditor, and asked him for a detailed rundown. Knowing that interest payments cover much of an MFI’s operational costs, I wanted to make sure I had everything straight in my head from start to end.

Read the rest of this entry »

Re-posted from the Kiva Fellows Blog.

Bizarre is probably not the best word to describe this client interview, but without a doubt we were intrigued and utterly fascinated by the alien-looking blob we saw sitting pretty before us. Corroi, HSPFI’s Kiva Coordinator and I found ourselves staring at a live (or semi-live) sea cucumber during a visit to HSPFI client and Kiva borrower Ann Lagrada on Camiguin Island.

(This is the second part of my “most memorable client interviews on Camiguin” series – check out “The Most Beautiful Client Interview (Part 1 of 2)” if you haven’t already!)

(If you have a soft spot in your heart, an ongoing and lasting fondness for sea cucumbers like the one above, and the thought of chopping/prepping a sea cucumber for consumption would cause you much undue stress, do NOT click on the “more” link.)

Read the rest of this entry »

Four days ago I received the final response to a question that I had stumbled upon almost two months ago – are there employment restrictions against people with past criminal histories for stimulus projects funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009? Somewhat on a whim, I decided to see if I could uncover the answer to this question by sending inquiries to the Department of Energy, Virginia State Government, and the Department of Labor, because the anecdote I had heard involved Virginia county agencies preventing previously convicted felons from being employed on stimulus-funded energy projects. One by one, thoughtful responses slowly came back from all the agencies I had contacted, and all of the answers were an overwhelming NO – there are NO POLICY RESTRICTIONS against employing previously convicted felons on stimulus projects.

If you are aware of a stimulus project in your community that bars ex-offenders, I would highly urge you to report the incident to Government Accountability’s FraudNet, or contact relevant agencies’ Inspectors General as listed on Recovery.gov.

Read the rest of this entry »

Last week I got a short email from the Department of Labor stating that they’ve forwarded my request to the appropriate office, so still waiting for the final word there on whether Labor has some sort of policy that would prevent previously convicted felons from being employed on stimulus-funded projects. I also received a more definite letter from Virginia’s Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy that was sent on July 14. See relevant excerpts below; bolded emphases are mine.

Thank you for your email to Governor Kaine regarding any Virginia policy or regulation that precludes convicted felons from working on energy-related stimulus-funded projects in the Commonwealth. He has asked the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy to respond to you on his behalf.

We have researched your question which included contacting the Virginia Department of Correctional Education, the agency that deals with occupational licensure for people with past criminal convictions. We were unable to discover any such blanket restriction in Virginia law. There is no such restriction in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grants that this department has received.

Read the rest of this entry »

This past Tuesday I learned that Virginian county agencies are preventing companies from employing previously convicted felons for stimulus projects (e.g. the low-income weatherization program) funded by the Recovery Act – also known as the $787 billion stimulus package passed by Congress in February. This saddened me on several levels – firstly, if there is indeed policy that’s preventing people with past criminal histories from trying to turn their lives around, what’s the incentive for ANYONE in those situations to try and improve their lives? Secondly, if business owners are hiring previously convicted felons to try to give them a second lease on life, such a policy would not only prevent this from happening but would also mean that businesses would have to rehire/replace their workforce for Recovery-funded projects ONLY, which doesn’t make any sense at all. Thirdly, many previously convicted felons have families that they need to support too. Why punish their families? I can only imagine that people with criminal records find it difficult enough on a regular basis to find jobs to support themselves and/or their families. Why should the stimulus bill make it harder for these people?

Read the rest of this entry »