Presentation urges action

On Wednesday, Nuru International came to Gonzaga to bring awareness about extreme poverty. Nuru, the organization that spurred last year's event "Be Hope 2 Her," continues to work toward its goal of providing the best for the extremely poor.

"We have a five-year exit strategy to lift these communities out of extreme poverty, through local leadership to sustain such projects after Nuru leaves," said Tiffany Newcomb, a volunteer through Nuru who came to present the nonprofit organization to the Gonzaga community. "We approach poverty in a holistic way."

According to its Web site, Nuru pursues "holistic, sustainable solutions to end extreme poverty, together, one community at a time."

"We are asking you to join us, because once you internalize it, you can use your own strengths to fight extreme poverty," Nuru volunteer Lisa Hugh said.

According to Newcomb and Hugh, Jake Harriman founded Nuru after he had served more than seven years in the Marine Corps overseas and assisted in numerous humanitarian and disaster relief operations. After seeing poverty first-hand, Harriman left the military, and started to form the nonprofit organization  and looks to spread its organization to 10 countries in 10 years.

"Jake believed that to end terrorism, we have to end extreme poverty," said Derek Roberts, a volunteer through Nuru who came to present the nonprofit organization to Gonzaga.
Harriman found that the poor could lift themselves from extreme poverty. Along with Harriman's efforts, several philanthropic foundations, classmates, and entrepreneurs, Nuru hit the ground running in Kuria, Kenya in September 2008.

"We don't plan a future for them, but we act as a source and a resource to help them grasp opportunities. Through this method, we see incredible results," Newcomb said.
Nuru works to fight poverty by listening to what each community needs, and works on assisting with water and sanitation, healthcare, agriculture, a sustainable economy, and education. They do not provide handouts, but rather, work to provide holistic sustainability.
According to Roberts, their efforts in Kuria reached 5,000 people in the community.

Last year, students were involved in one of Nuru's first projects for awareness and fundraising, called "Be Hope 2 Her," through CLP. Students carried buckets of water on their heads around campus that helped to demonstrate an action that poverty-stricken women and girls perform every day.

"To understand water in the Third World is to look at the women and girls," Hugh said. "They don't have a choice to go to school, they have no opportunities and limited choices in life because they have to carry this water."

According to Hugh, two or three times a day the women of a community must make a 30-minute or longer walk down to find water, wait in line and carry heavy buckets back to their communities.

Gonzaga held Be Hope 2 Her last year to help Nuru's cause. Sarah Arpin and Kim Schroeder are organizing this year's event which will be held April 16.
"Carrying the buckets themselves, it was really challenging," Arpin said. Each bucket weighs about 40 pounds, and it was really moving to see girls help each other. It really showed solidarity."

Schroeder said that last year they heard about Nuru and Be Hope 2 Her through a presentation Jake Harriman made to a nonprofit leadership class. There was a walk through campus, music, food, and a presentation.

"I would love to double the number from last year, we have reached out to the community this time, and hopefully churches, high schools, middle schools, and businesses can all participate and sponsor the event," Schroeder said.

According to Schroeder, across the country last year, the project raised $37,000.
"It is important for students to understand what life is like for other people other than themselves," Schroedersaid. "To live on one $1 a day, no one would stand for that in our country."