R your expats OK?

As I write this Australia is recognising World Suicide Prevention Day with events and campaigns calling our attention to one of the world's largest causes of premature and unnecessary death.

Later this week many Australian organisations will hold RUOK? Day. This day aims to inspire everyone to regularly ask each other "Are you OK?" In asking with care and concern it is hoped that the feeling of isolation that is often a factor in suicides will be prevented and people will connect and support each other.

Isolation is often felt intensely by expats. Their experiences of transitioning between workplaces, cultures, and social groups requires them to quickly establish connections or risk feeling isolated. It's a skill that some have mastered in expatriation but find difficult on repatriation or sometimes when they move on to another posting in a different culture and community.

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Crowd Sourced Kiva Loan

In my Christmas newsletter (sign up here if you’re not receiving it) I promised a gift on behalf of subscribers to Kiva. 

If you aren’t familiar with www.kiva.org the site links micro-finance lenders with borrowers.  Loans are managed by experienced organisations in the lenders country.  They have pre-approved the lenders and assisted them in their venture with training and guidance. In reality they make the loan and kiva lenders provide the back-up financing. 

Kiva Lenders can view the range of industries and people who are seeking finance and choose a borrower.  Sounds easy but choosing who to fund is hard.  So for our Christmas gift I asked newsletter subscribers to tell me who they would like me to fund on their behalf.  A crowd sourced gift if you like. So what were the results?

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