Wesleyan’s Brad Long Peace Education Lecture sheds light on leadership. This fall’s lecture proved that. The 2013 keynote speaker delivered a message full of truth, hope, and belief that we can end extreme poverty.
Jake Harriman is the founder/CEO of Nuru International, a non-profit organization working to end extreme poverty around the world. A native of our state, he entered the U.S. Naval Academy, graduated with distinction, and began a career in the Marine Corps. After eight years of leading a special operations unit, Harriman, an individual who frequently witnessed the woes of poverty in Iraq, decided to turn a humanitarian dream into a reality. Harriman was accepted into Stanford Graduate School of Business. He graduated with an MBA, and a passion for helping those in need, in 2008.
Harriman believes we “live in a world of choices.” After years of researching poverty and trying to define it, he found the words of Mahbub al Haq, finance minister of Pakistan, and Amartya Sen, Nobel Prize winner; these two leaders define extreme poverty as “a lack of meaningful choices for basic human rights.” Harriman says this definition matches the painful scenes depicted in Iraq. It became Nuru’s basis.
The term Nuru means “light” or “hope.” According to Harriman, Nuru aims to be a light or hope to hurting people. Through a careful selection process, the organization chooses areas of the world that are “remote, rural, and lack NGO presence,” areas that are in need of stability. Harriman and the Nuru team lead with a servant-leadership style. This form of leadership encourages natural leaders to emerge; it also answers questions that are unique to each community. Harriman believes there are three “knows” that must be understood before turning people without choices into a self-sufficient, financially stable body.
“First, know your people,” he says. “Who are you working with? Second, know your job. Be good at what you do, and always strive to improve. Third, know yourself. Know your strengths and weaknesses, and apply yourself accordingly.”
Nuru’s success is attributed to Harriman’s passion and work ethic. For individuals with an entrepreneurial spirit and a willingness to help others, he offers advice.
“The world has a lot of room for good people with good ideas,” he says. “You just have to get out there and make a change.”
Visit NuruInternational.org for more information.