Feb 11 9:00 PM

Could addressing poverty help fight terrorism?

by Consider This Staff

Jake Harriman at his graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy.

Driven by the memory of what he witnessed in Southwest and Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Africa over the course of four operational deployments, former U.S. Marine Infantry and Special Operations Platoon Commander Jake Harriman is now on a mission to combat extreme poverty.

While on patrol, Harriman saw how poverty, disenfranchisement, and lack of education are linked to terrorism. He opted to leave the military after more than seven years in order to develop a plan of attack.

Harriman graduated with an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business in June 2008. He and his team launched the nonprofit humanitarian organization Nuru International in Kenya later that year. (Nuru means "light" in Kiswahili).

Harriman and his team are formulating a multi-pronged approach. According to the Nuru International website, "The Nuru Model is designed to be the first self-sustaining, self-scaling, integrated development model to end extreme poverty in remote, rural areas, in our lifetime." Nuru initiatives include an agricultural loan program, leadership training, healthcare, and more.

Harriman will join Antonio Mora on the Feb. 11, 2014 edition of Consider This to share his story and discuss his organization. Check out the photos below to see Harriman in action, then visit the Nuru website and follow @jakenuru on Twitter to learn more.

Tune in to Al Jazeera America at 10pm ET/7pm PT to watch the interview.