Pocket Entrepreneurs Benefit from Teenage Philanthropists (June/July 2009) Edutopia

[main idea]Students at two different high schools are making microloans to people in developing nations. [supporting detail]Students at the private Meadows School in Las Vegas and public Bellevue High near Seattle, Washington both have raised funds to create financial institutions capable of lending money to applicants. [supporting detail]Meadows School raised the money mostly through fundraisers and micro-donations. [(extra) supporting detail]Bellevue High was able to get corporate sponsorship, including their first sponsor, Microsoft. [(extra) supporting detail] The average loan size is below $200 and often to women. [(extra) supporting detail]Some of the Bellvue students were able to travel to the Dominican Republic and meet their borrowers last summer. [(extra) supporting detail]Meadows students are considering expanding their program to give additional support to the regions in which they make their loans. [conclusion]Although the founding members of both programs are heading to college this fall, they feel that they have created "strong organizations" that will continue past their tenure.

[reader's response]I was inspired by this article - maybe something like this would be possible at FHP! Various classes could be involved, including APES and EnvSci, as well as some Social Studies courses like Economics and AP Human Geography. It would be great to get something started, but I know myself better than that - I am a dreamer; I need a doer to get things done.
I also wonder about the feasibility of microloans in this country. I have always heard of the loans going to people in developing nations. Does our economy make the money awarded in a microloan just too little? Or do most people in this country not think outside the box and consider what small infusions of cash might do to help them?