Kiva (Kiva.org) gives Mazuma a platform for lending like no other. Mazuma employees choose entrepreneurs in developing countries and make micro loans to them.

The poor rarely have access to services through the formal financial sector. They have no money to open a savings account; they have no collateral to secure a loan; they have no credit record; they likely can’t even complete the necessary paperwork for a loan. Mazuma helps recipients make great strides toward economic independence and improve life for themselves, their families, and communities by lending as little as $50 at a time. Loan are most often extended to women, and default rates are extraordinarily low.

Mazuma also contributes to Christmas Box Houses that serve as a one-stop assessment centers for abused and neglected children. Children receive mental, emotional, and physical care in a home-like, loving environment.

Mazuma established a philanthropy practice before it was profitable. The company was formed in September 2005 and didn’t close its first transaction until 2006, but plans had been made to participate in Primary Children’s Medical Center’s Festival of Trees.

One in nine children who walk in the doors of Primary Children’s Medical Center cannot afford to pay their medical expenses. Primary Children’s Charity Care program ensures that every child receives the best medical care possible, regardless of ability to pay. The program is majority funded by the proceeds of The Festival of Trees where donated and decorate Christmas trees are sold though a silent auction. Each year Mazuma Capital Corp purchases a tree that is gifted to a Mazuma employee.