Do you Kiva?

For Mother's Day 2 years ago I got an I-Pod, it is definitely the most used gift I've ever received, I'm not sure my husband is as thrilled with the success of his present!

I am a podcast junkie. Whenever I'm on my own (or think I'm on my own), I am, as my better half calls it, 'podded up'. I find it brilliant for keeping up with UK sport, especially football and at the moment how we`re (England that is) doing in the cricket in Australia. One of the other podcasts I`ve got a little obsessed with is `Stuff You Should Know`, or the catchy abbreviation SYSK! ( This is their Facebook page ) They cover a different topic in each program, (the podcasts come out on Tuesdays and Thursday) and they vary widely. Last week they covered `Male Circumcision` and `How the Rules of War Work` but if you go back further in their back catalog you might come across `How Growops Work` or the inside scoop on `Freemasons` there is no topic they are not willing to get their teeth into, they did a fabulous one on the octopus and equally as interesting on how prisons really work.

SYSK also brought to my attention a really cool charity called Kiva . Simply put any money you donate is lent to entrepreneurs in countries of need, they then use this money to start their own approved business. It might be to buy a sewing machine so they can make or repair clothes from home or a bigger project like opening a store, a bit like podcasts the opportunities are endless. The amount and length of the loan are agreed and as a donor you can chose to get your money back at the end of the loan period or put it back into the pot so it can be loaned out again. It`s like the saying goes `give a man a fish and he`ll eat for a day, teach him how to fish and you`ll feed him for life`.

Kiva also sell gift cards http://www.kiva.org/gifts which can be redeemed on-line, perfect for that difficult to buy for person on your list, my mother-in-law is down for one this year. It may not be buying `handmade` but it is letting someone else make handmade and surely that`s as good a gift as you can give.