Villanovans who are looking for a way to learn about and change the world around them have discovered how to do so without getting up from their desks.

It is now easier than ever for students to do a little something to help fight poverty. Just click it. That’s right, click. Until March 26 students can go online at www.povertyfighters.com and click on Villanova. For every click, sponsors will donate 25 cents toward a micro-credit loan for a person in poverty. The loans range in value from $25 to $250 and are distributed to people in impoverished countries all over the world. The click-drive began on Feb. 14, and as of Wednesday, Feb. 18, the University had raised $369.75, taking fist place.

Oxfam America, an organization dedicated to ending hunger and poverty around the world, has teamed up with www.povertyfighters.com to make the fight against poverty an easy one to be involved in. With the help of clickers and organizations such as Bread for the World, the Center on Hunger and Poverty, the Sierra Club, United Students Against Sweatshops, Student Global Aids Campaign, and Campus Outreach Opportunities League, www.povertyfighters.com affects change all over the world.

Maria was born in a tiny village an hour and a half from San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico’s southernmost and poorest state. Maria had to drop out of school in the third grade to help her parents manage their household and farm. Now 29, Maria continues to live with and care for her elderly parents in a small mud house. Maria relies on the ancient craft of looming for income, but did not have enough sheep to produce the wool needed to

loom the traditional clothes that she sells. After receiving her loan, Maria has 16 sheep and sells her crafts to fellow villagers and tourists in San Cristobal. She handles all aspects of the business, caring for animals, spinning wool, and weaving it on her loom all by herself. Not only is Maria providing income for her family, but she is keeping a cultural tradition alive. Maria was invited to Ashville, N.C., to display and sell her products at a craft fair. This was her first time out of San Cristobal de las Casas, but it probably won’t be her last. With a small loan and an ancient skill, Maria has traveled far.

Last year, the simple act of clicking twice daily at www.povertyfighters.com raised $36,528.60. Villanova came in ninth overall out of over 250 colleges, in the collegiate click drive with $811.50. This year’s click drive is coming up fast, beginning tomorrow. All it takes is a few seconds each day to log on to the site, but it makes a world of difference to people trying to rise out of poverty. As if that wasn’t enough incentive, the winner receives $1,000 and other prizes. Eradicating global poverty may seem like an impossible task, but the first steps towards it are as easy as point, click, and click again.