Since the Imbolc Sabbat involves, on a spiritual level, learning and growing in new directions which by it's nature involves a kind of self-discipline that might in many cases require guidance and nurturing much as a child, I thought it might be appropriate to give a shout out to a worthwhile charity that I first learned about on Rufus's blog at Grad Student Madness.
The charity in question is Kiva. What they do is not so much give a hand-out as a hand-up, to struggling entrepreneurs in third world countries. The site contains a list of potential recipients from across the globe, engaged in a variety of business pursuits. Many if not most of them are just starting their businesses for the first time. Moreover, this is not just a list of statistics. You can choose directly whom you want to support. Some people have banded together to form teams to support specific business owners.
I think the way it works is, your money is donated to the site, which then forwards the loan to the recipient of your choice, after which that person will repay the site according to the terms. Since it is a not-for-profit site, the terms are very relaxed and not at all burdensome. What repayment there is just goes to helping run the site with overhead expenses, but the owners of the site are not going to take the recipients to court or try to confiscate their property in the event they are unable to pay.
I thought it was in keeping with the spirit and the meaning of the Sabbat, so give it a look. We all need encouragement and guidance from time to time, and this is one way you can help make a big difference in the lives of real people who need such help, in a way that is neither demeaning nor demanding.
You can also monitor the person's progress at the site, how much they have repaid over time, how well they appear to be doing, and so on.
