Wangari Maathai’s establishment of the grassroots movement called The Green Belt Movement has resulted in substantial positive change not only in regard to the environment but also in regard to the overall well-being of struggling African communities.
Image By Patrick Wallet — Wangari Maathai
Wangari Maathai was born in 1940 in Nyeri, Kenya. She obtained degrees from Mount St. Scholastica College, the University of Pittsburgh, and the University of Nairobi, becoming the first East and Central African to earn a doctorate degree. She then went on to become the first ever female professor in Kenya teaching veterinary anatomy at the University of Nairobi. She introduced the idea of the Green Belt Movement while serving on the National Council of Women in Kenya.
The Green Belt Movement is an organization that on the surface counters deforestation. It encourages women across Africa to plant trees in their communities and think ecologically. Planting trees combats the extreme erosion and soil depletion that these areas face as a result of rampant deforestation. Deforestation is typically a product of widespread logging, often leading to famine due to crop failure, which is what happened in the devastating famine in Malawi in 2002. By planting trees as encouraged by the Green Belt Movement, soil can be grounded by the roots so that it is not swept away by water or wind.
Logo of the Green Belt Movement
But these trees serve an even greater purpose for these areas. Planting trees and participating in the Green Belt Movement “diversifies the sources of income for the communities neighboring the forest by generating income for tree planting activities and promoting alternative and profitable use of the forest”. These trees are also able to store water and provide food and firewood, significantly cutting down the previous trek to acquire these materials.
In 2004, Wangari Maathai won the Nobel Peace Prize and was the first African woman to do so. As of today, the Green Belt Movement has planted over 50 million trees, and its work has expanded to other parts of Africa, including Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi, Lesotho, Ethiopia, and Zimbabwe.
Wangari Maathai’s ability to expand her vision to include environmental restoration and the overall wellbeing of the people in the affected areas is truly remarkable. By uniting these two causes, she was able to address two crucial issues with something as seemingly insignificant as planting a tree. Since it is a grassroots movement that everyone can easily participate in, it has been able to spark change that a larger, more corporately focused organization may not have been unable to bring about.
Sources:
https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/2004/maathai/biographical/
https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/2004/maathai/facts/
http://www.greenbeltmovement.org/who-we-are
http://hdr.undp.org/en/content/famine-malawi-causes-and-consequences
Wow!! She sounds like an amazingly strong woman, perfect for this women’s history month! I had never even heard of this movement but it sounds absolutely amazing and I am happy that people around the world can start such awesome initiatives to help slow deforestation and that people understand how important trees are to our planet.
I’ve never heard of her before but she sounds like an amazing woman!! It’s crazy to think that individuals were moving towards environmental restoration in the 1900s, yet we are still struggling to take action on it today 🙁 She sounds incredibly strong — becoming the first East and Central African to earn a doctorate degree — and then using her degree to help those around her! Amazing!
I, too, have never heard of her before but I love what she is putting out into the world. Deforestation is a topic that is sometimes suppressed in the media and does not receive the attention it deserves. Trees are essential to our livelihood, and I wish that more people looked at the issue in that manner. I admire this woman so much because not only did she make a name for herself, but also has been successful in fighting for her cause. Her passion is her driving force, and I hope to develop a passion like that.
Wow, I love learning about amazing women who have made such a positive difference in the world through their activism! The fact that she was able to improve the environment as well as the lives of people in the surrounding communities is truly remarkable. I’m super happy to hear how successful the Green Belt Movement has been as deforestation continues to be a pressing issue around the world. It truly gives me so much hope for humanity to see these powerful activists pursuing their visions and making the world better for it.