[This is part of a series of posts that will extend through the entire year of 2009 twice monthly according to my original post "My pledge to Kiva for 2009". To view all of my Kiva projects, take a moment to check out my Kiva lending page.]

In this week’s Kiva Pledge Update I am supporting the Ephraim Plus Group in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a large group operating a grocery store in Kinshasa. This is my second Kiva loan to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

According to their Kiva business page:

Henriette Butandu is a seller of beans, spices, and various other goods in front of her house in the northern and most populated area of Kinshasa. Her know-how and the right management practices are behind the prosperity of her business, which she started with a sack of peanuts as initial capital. Today, she is a loyal member of a Hope RDC group named “Ephraïm Plus”. She intends to develop her business with the loans received from Hope RDC. The next loan will enable her to buy goods for bolstering her inventory.
Currently her business generated a profit of $50 a week. Her dream is to buy a parcel of land for her children.
Henriette is 49 years old, married, and the mother of six children. Three of them attend school.

Stay tuned for the next Kiva Pledge Update on August 2nd.