TripAdvisor and Kiva, the world’s first microlending platform, have launched a unique new partnership connecting travellers from the TripAdvisor community with Kiva borrowers in countries the travellers have visited.

Kiva is a non-profit organisation working to alleviate poverty around the world by connecting people through microlending.

Thousands of borrowers in 66 countries are listed on Kiva, such as a farmer in Peru, a fisherman in Indonesia, or a seamstress in Cambodia.

Lenders read about borrowers on Kiva.org and choose which ones to support with a loan of $25 or more.

Even a small loan can create new opportunities for loan recipients, their families, and their communities.

The TripAdvisor/Kiva partnership reaches travellers who have been to one of these countries and written a review for that trip on TripAdvisor.

TripAdvisor then invites these travellers to choose a borrower in the country they visited to receive a $25 microloan on Kiva.org.

The loans are entirely funded through a $250,000 contribution from TripAdvisor and come at no cost to the traveller.

This marks the first time Kiva has worked with a company offering microloans to its customers in the countries where they have just been.

Only those travellers who have written reviews in countries served by Kiva will be invited to make a TripAdvisor $25 microloan.

“We’re thrilled to work with Kiva and support such a worthy cause,” commented Barbara Messing, chief marketing officer, TripAdvisor.

“We’re also delighted to be able to provide our community with a way of giving back to the communities they travelled to, where even a single relatively small loan can make a life changing difference.”