I got an e-mail today alerting me that I have money in my Kiva account. As I read on, I was pleased to discover that my $25 loan (a birthday gift from my mother-in-law) had been repaid in full by the 28-year-old farmer and mother of two in the Middle Eastern country of Azerbaijan, who I had loaned the money to last year.

If you're unfamiliar with Kiva loans, the idea is simply altruistic. Similar to any social networking site, entrepreneurs in need create profiles detailing their hopeful business. Kiva's Web site then connects you, the potential lender, with the working poor in developing countries to read about the work they're doing. They often explain what your funding will do for their economic independence.

Kiva lets you lend any amount of money -- my gift certificate was for $25 -- to a specific entrepreneur. You then received e-mail updates on their status: how many other lenders contributed, how much of their financial goal they've reached and, if they have, how their business is doing.

The entrepreneur I chose, Sevda Mammadova, needed a total of $750 to buy fruit seedlings and fertilizer for improving her farming business. By becoming a member of Kiva, she was able to reach her goal with the help of almost 30 lenders like me from across the world.

Updates also inform the lender of their loan's return as the entrepreneur's business takes off. Most Kiva members choose to then re-invest their money in other workers in need, but you don't have to. The email I received today allowed me three options: re-loan the money, donate it to Kiva or withdraw it completely.

In just four years, 560,407 Kiva members have raised $92,123,685 in loan money for 227,754 struggling entrepreneurs in 181 countries, now including here in the US. Kiva's repayment rate is over 98 percent.

It's a pretty cool system and a smart investment for anyone who wants to help change lives around the world.