FIVE years ago students from a Bournemouth school had a dream of helping people from developing countries set up their own businesses.

Today that dream is a reality and Avonbourne College’s Project Emerge has loaned more than $6,000, helping launch 216 businesses along the way.

Project Emerge was formed in 2011 by four Year 9 students who wanted to help budding entrepreneurs from the developing world who had great business ideas but not the resources to set them up.

They raised enough funds to make interest-free loans, ranging from $25 to $250 and the social enterprise rapidly built up.

In 2011 they won the Tenner Tycoon in Schools’ Best Social Impact prize and the prestigious Diana Award, set up in memory of the late Princess Diana.

And last year the students were given the platform to promote their enterprise when internet giants AOL helped them set up their own website.

Since its formation other students have become involved and taken on the baton of growing Project Emerge.

CEO of Avonbourne Trust, Debbie Godfrey-Phaure, said: “This has been an amazing journey.

“In just five years they have provided loans to more than 200 entrepreneurs in countries such as Uganda, Bolivia, Guatemala and Tajikistan.

“They wanted to make an impact but I don’t think even in their wildest dreams could they have imagined just what a global change they would make to people’s lives.”

Project Emerge uses microfinance company Kiva to loan the money the students have raised – and has become Kiva’s biggest UK lender.

Among the many stories of how these loans have helped people turn their lives around is the one of Gina – a sugarcane farmer from the Philippines.

Gina used her loan to grow her business, which meant she could fund her children through school.

She said: “The challenges I encounter daily are providing for my children’s daily allowance when they go to school and the capital that we spend on our farm animals.

“I used the loan to start my first business and I can say my business is still growing."

The team organises fundraising events throughout the year and encourages students from across Avonbourne Trust’s four academies to vote for which business project should receive loans.

When the loans are paid back the money is re-invested to help even more new businesses emerge, businesses like these:

• Mexican farmer Jamie was loaned $475 to purchase a bio-digester so he could turn his cow’s manure into renewable energy.

• $1,325 went to Luz Marina from Columbia so she could set up a shoe business.

• Jane, a retailer from Kenya, was loaned $1,000 so she could buy more stock for her growing business.

Student Lizzie Tanswell, age 13, said: "This kind of support is helping people to be self-dependant, able to keep their children in education and also benefit their own community."