Wangari Maathai
Maathai's devotion to the cause of saving the forests of Kenya led to death threats, whippings and beatings, but in 2004 her work was rewarded when she became the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize for demonstrating the intricate links between the environment, democracy and peace through Kenya's Green Belt Movement.
In 1977 Maathai founded the Green Belt Movement with the aim of planting trees to prevent environmental and social conditions deteriorating and damaging the lives of the impoverished people, especially women, in rural Kenya. on which they depend for water, food, fuel, and medicine by planting trees.
In her acceptance speech Maathai, who has died at the age of 71, said that the inspiration for her life's work came from her childhood experiences in rural Kenya, where she witnessed forests being cleared and replaced by commercial plantations, which destroyed biodiversity and the capacity of forests to conserve water.
Dr. Maathai was able to show that environmental protection is a two-way street: the loss of natural resource drives war and conflict, but the restoration of natural resources drives peace and security.
Maathai became increasingly involved with international efforts to tackle climate change, not merely calling for the protection of forests but pushing for popular involvement in policy decisions.
In 2006 she joined with the UN Environment Programme to launch a campaign to plant a billion trees worldwide. Results were rapid: that target was reached within a year – the target is now 14 billion. In 2010, she founded the Wangari Maathai Institute for Peace and Environmental Studies, which allies academic research with the strategies used so successfully by the Green Belt Movement.
Green Belt Movement - London
Wangari Maathai Institute for Peace and Environmental Studies - Kenya
Region focus - Kenya
Maathai's lessons have never been timelier. Take part in the environmental activism. Explore and join the following projects: 1. Great Green Wall Sahara 2. Ripple Africa Malawi