At A Clear Direction Financial Planning we recognise the importance of 'word of mouth' referrals of our services to other interested investors and wish to acknowledge these referrals because they are a key part of our business. We value the fact that clients and friends of the business take the time to speak positively about our service to others. To acknowledge our gratitude for this referral we have instituted our 'Friendly Directions' referral program.
We are passionate about the independence of our business, and have chosen not to pay money for referrals, as some firms do. Instead we have set up a program whereby any time a person who is referred to us becomes a client, we will pay $50 to a charitable organisation.
We have chosen to direct our future donations to Kiva. Kiva lets you connect with and loan money to unique small businesses in the developing world. By choosing a business on Kiva.org, we can "sponsor a business" and help the world's working poor make great strides towards economic independence. Throughout the course of the loan (usually 6-12 months), we will receive email journal updates from the business we've sponsored. As loans are repaid, we get our loan money back and are then able to re-direct these funds to other small businesses. To get more information about Kiva please take a look at their website - www.kiva.org . A write up of KIVA can also be found on the Stanford Magazine website - Small change, big payoff.
Our first loan of US$300 has been made to Mrs Tik Yun. Mrs. Tik Yun, age 60, works with her husband growing rice crops and raising domestic animals. They live in Kampong Chnang province, Cambodia. They have seven children; two who are employed at a medical company, one who is employed by a micro finance organization, one who is a teacher, one who is employed by a local organization, and two who are students. She requests a loan of $1000 to purchase more land to expand her farm and after our loan has raised $875. This will increase the amount of rice she can grow and sell, thereby increasing the family's income.
We look forward in providing further updates on the progress of Tik Yun and her farming enterprises in future blogs.
