Two clicks a day keeps world hunger at bay. At least that is the mantra of Oxfam America's Collegiate Click Drive, a nationwide program for college students to raise money to fight global hunger and poverty, running from Feb. 13 through Mar. 31.

As of Feb. 15, two days into the drive, Stanford led the 130 participating schools in 32 states, totlaing $208 in donations. Runner-up Brandeis University trails with $165.25.

"The response has been even better than we expected," said Eve Rips, co-hunger awareness coordinator for the Stanford Project on Hunger (SPOON), the organization that runs the drive on campus. "We raised $135 on the first day, which is just fantastic."

Rips explained that the Collegiate Click Drive's aims made SPOON a natural campus partner in the effort.

"One of SPOON's goals is to raise student awareness about global hunger, and this drive is a very effective way of doing that," she said. "Oxfam is a fantastic organization that pinpoints the most pressing problems in the world."

Each visitor's click on the main page donates 25 cents from Oxfam's corporate sponsors to a loan pool given to selected micro-credit banks. Through these banks, the loans are distributed to impoverished individuals around the world who want to start their own businesses. According to the Web site, would-be entrepreneurs with little or no collateral can go to these micro-lenders and get $25 to $5,000 to start their own small enterprises.

"Even though it costs nothing to go to PovertyFighters.com and click twice, it really does help<\p>--<\p>a little money goes a long way in poverty-stricken nations," said co-Hunger Awareness Coordinator and junior Gabe Recchia.

The drive's stated goal is to provide practical help to the world's poorest families<\p>--<\p>particularly their female members<\p>--<\p>by raising funds for microlenders. Currently, about 20 million very poor micro-entrepreneurs around the world have access to $4 billion in credit, according to the drive's Web site.

One distinct feature of the program is access to online accounts of how these micro-loans have been used. One page tells the tale of Anwara Khatun, whose loans allowed her to pay for her children's education, develop her land and purchase a phone for her rural town in Bangladesh. Similar stories have poured in from Albania, Indonesia and Zimbabwe. Surprisingly, the United States is also on the list.

"It is more personal than an ordinary anonymous donation, because you can read about the people whose lives you affect," Rips said.

The loan system also differs from typical donations by promoting financial independence.

"Most of the people who get these loans don't want handouts," Rips said. "Micro-loans get them into a system that keeps them going on their own. They keep their dignity and pride by being able to pay them back." According to the Web site, 95 percent of micro-loans are repaid.

The success of this drive lies in its accessibility to all students.

"It only takes ten seconds to go to the site, click twice, and have the good feeling of having helped out a charity, so I think a lot of students figure 'why not'?" said Recchia. "Also, Oxfam has a good track record of creating permanent solutions to poverty, so the cause is among the best we could support."

Students wishing to aid the fight against global hunger and help Stanford win the national contest can visit http://www.povertyfighters.com, register with Stanford and click away, twice a day until March 31. Donors are limited to two clicks per computer per day. There is no cost to the student for clicking. Both povertyfighters.com and thehungersite.com accept clicking donations all-year-round, and organizers implore students to bookmark their pages and keep giving.