Apologies if anyone sees this as a crosspost, I mentioned it in another thread.
Look at kiva.org
They facilitate microfinance. I know many people here would have an extra 25 bucks to help someone buy tables for their restaurant, material for their clothing business, light bulbs for their store, etc etc.
To me this is an example of the good the internet can do, to allow us to reach out across the world and lend a hand.
I feel like this is a chance to use my incredible good fortune to put something out there and maybe make a difference in spite of my boneheaded government, which tends to spend money on military nonsolutions and not enough on humanitarian help.
I have no affiliation with kiva other than I'm a lender. I have several friends who have loaned with Kiva and say it works.
I look forward to visiting a restaurant in Equador and sitting at a table I helped them buy.