Vintage Soviet Iron, Courtesy of Kiva

A while back, I touted Kiva, a website that links Westerners with Third World entrepreneurs in need of micro loans. I made a $25 loan to Salom, a Tajik cab driver who needed to make some repairs to his aging Russian cab. It is a wonderful idea. The site is so popular, in fact, that oftentimes it runs out of entrepreneurs to lend money to.

My man Salom and his IZH.

So while the site is waiting to sign up more participants, I did a search of Tajik cab drivers who received loans in the past. It is a veritable walk down memory lane. The old Soviet clunkers cling to life out of necessity in this poor, mountainous, underdeveloped country. Parts are scavenged, improvised, or hand-made. Life for the drivers, like their cars' idle, is rough. But there is a quiet dignity in what these men and their cars do everyday to support their families.

CKY