I lend money through Zidisha, and I was really glad to find the site. While I've been lending (and still lend) money through other microfinance sites like Kiva, the terribly high interest rates borrowers have to pay on loans through those setups seems lika an extra burden for people already struggling. I really applaud Zidisha for creating a structure that can bring the interest rates down so significantly, and also have the borrowers more personally involved.

Zidisha clearly needs more lenders in its community: Right now, some loans might end up waiting quite a while before being completed. However, the site has been growing and improving dramatically since I joined about a year ago. With all the improvements it has ended up very nice and easy to use by now, and I see no reason why it shouldn't take off through word of mouth.

Anyone with an interest in microfinance should definitely take a look.