Microloans allow Louisville students to “Pay it forward”

Woodland Hills, CA (March 1, 2008) - Students in their 11th grade Social Justice classes, along with their teacher, Mr. Michael Bates, pooled their money and selected 28 loan recipients on the Kiva microloan website to receive a portion of their $5,425.00. Eighty-six percent of the entrepreneurs they chose were women, many of them single mothers. Throughout the course of these loans (usually 6 to 12 months) the students tracked the payments and viewed journal entries made by the borrowers or field representatives. Now, nearly one year later, 22 of the original 28 loans are paid back in full: a total of nearly $5,100.00 repaid.

The Louisville Class of 2009 Social Justice classes will continue the ongoing reinvestment of the Kiva funds donated by last year’s classes by adding their own donations to the pot and selecting new loan recipients together. Contact Michael Bates at mbates@lousivillehs.org to contribute to this ongoing project. To view Louisville High School’s current Kiva loan recipients and read their profiles, visit www.kiva.org/lender/louisvillehighscho8224.

About Louisville High School

Located in suburban Los Angeles, Louisville is a private Catholic high school for young women. Founded in 1960, Louisville is sponsored by the Sisters of St. Louis. Louisville has the maximum six year accreditation by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and was named a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence by the U.S. Department of Education.

For more information, contact:

Laura Flynn

Director of Public Relations

818.346.8812 x11130