This looks like a much better alternative to Kiva. It’s direct and appears focused, so it bypasses all of the profit/expenses skimming in between you and the borrower. According to a Forbes article about Zidisha this means that the recipient pays around 5% on a loan, instead of 35%.
And since there are no intermediate local banks involved, borrowers are never harassed by any pinstriped goons and can be flexible with repayments if they have a tough couple of months.