Showing 1-9 of 9 results
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Happy Birthday Balloons at a Christmas Party? Whose Birthday is it?
Blog: Kiva Stories from the Field - 19 December 2009
By Prem Thomas, KF9, Philippines I thought my coworkers at the Center for Community Transformation (CCT) were just recycling balloons from the last birthday party to save money, but a coworker told me that “It’s Jesus’s birthday.” As I prepare to celebrate my first Christmas away from family, the Christmas spirit has become overwhelming with carols [...]
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Another young boy!
Blog: Kiva Stories from the Field - 9 December 2009
By Ujwal Kharel KF9 Hello everyone! My name’s Ujwal and I started as a Kiva fellow for CCT, Manila on Monday, December 07. For those fans of Prem, don’t worry he’s still here, and will be here for at least another month . I left Atlanta on November 23rd and flew to Kathmandu for the best detour [...]
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These are Former Street Dwellers?
Blog: Kiva Stories from the Field - 1 December 2009
By Prem Thomas, KF9, Philippines They look like happy kids to me. As I mentioned in my first blog post, at the Center for Community Transformation Credit Cooperative (CCT) it’s not all about microfinance. I had the chance to take a look at some of the work CCT is doing with street dwellers (homeless) throughout the Philippines. Many [...]
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The Show Me Game!
Blog: Kiva Stories from the Field - 30 October 2009
By Prem Thomas, KF9, Manila, Philippines One of the great parts of being a Kiva Fellow in the Philippines is the access it gives you to other countries with relatively inexpensive domestic and international flights. Cebu Pacific is one of a handful of budget airlines in the Philippines that allow you to fly internationally to places [...]
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A Violin Lesson in Geppetto’s Workshop
Blog: Kiva Stories from the Field - 27 October 2009
By Prem Thomas, KF9, Philippines I haven’t picked up a violin in over 12 years despite playing for most of my childhood. But when I saw that CCT had made a Kiva loan to a violin-maker 3 hours outside of Manila, I knew I had to visit. Evelyn Gabute and her husband Angel recently [...]
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“Filipinos are like Bamboo…
Blog: Kiva Stories from the Field - 14 October 2009
By Prem Thomas, KF9, Manila, Philippines We bend, but don’t break.” These are the words Lala, the Kiva Coordinator, at the Center for Community Transformation Credit Cooperative (CCT) used to describe the Filipinos who have and will bounce back from the flooding caused by Typhoons Ketsana and Parma. My name is Prem Thomas, and today is [...]
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Daily Travel Photo - Manila, Philippines
Blog: Everything Everywhere - 5 May 2009
Originally posted on the Everything Everywhere Travel Blog. Follow me as I travel around the world. [...]
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Manila - Glazed or Filled?
Blog: Ottsworld - 17 April 2009
View snapshots of the softball tournament Manila offered something that was totally unexpected; a western diet. When I left NYC last August to head to Vietnam, I left behind McDonalds, Chipotle, Starbucks, Burger King, Dunkin Donuts, and Dairy Queen. None of this exists in Ho Chi Minh City which is probably why I have lost weight [...]
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Getting To Your Destination
Blog: Ottsworld - 30 March 2009
I’m out of practice. I forgot what it was like to have a long travel day; planes, buses, taxis, negotiating the unknown on your own. Getting to your desired travel destination can be like running in a travel obstacle course! Granted, I think I am pretty skilled at this, but it’s been about 6 months [...]
Showing 1-9 of 9 results






