Sometimes, role models come from the least expected places. In 1940, in a small village in Kenya, over 12,000 km from Toronto, a young girl was born to a farmer and his wife. She was named Wangari Muta Maathai. When she was a young girl, her family separated in order to send her and her brothers to school. Her dad lived on a farm where he found work, and her mom lived near the school. Later, Wangari would go to a Catholic high school in Limuru. Through a strange twist of fate and politics, she received a scholarship to study at a college in Kansas, where she earned a Bachelor of Science. From there, she went to the University of Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) where she would earn a master’s degree in biology. It was here she was introduced to environmental restoration. When Wangari completed her degree, she returned to Kenya, believing she had an appointment as a research assistant at the University College of Nairobi.
When she went to her new job, she discovered the position had been given to someone else. Wangari suspectd gender or tribal bias. She found another position, then went on to earn a Ph.D. at a European university. In the mid-1970s, she would become the first woman in Nairobi appointed as chair of a department and as an associate professor. It was during this time of campaigning for equal benefits for women on the staff that she became involved in civic organizations. Through her work and research, she determined that many of Kenya’s problems stemmed from environmental degradation.
The Green Belt Movement
Wangari encouraged women in Kenya to plant tree nurseries. Each seedling that was later planted in another location provided a small stipend to the woman who grew the tree. This program started out as “Save the Land Harambee,” but changed name to the Green Belt Movement. This movement encouraged women to work together to restore the trees, which provided fuel and firewood and stopped soil erosion. At a time when unemployment was rising, every dollar counted in the family and community.
The Green Belt Movement encouraged education, not only in environmental issues, but civic issues too. The leaders of the movement advocated for accountability from national leaders in Kenya. Wangari had faced political opposition before she ever started Green Belt, but following the organization of her efforts, the Kenyan government opposed her efforts and attempted to prevent her from registering voters. Her own government called her “a crazy woman,” but she continued to fight for environmental and civic rights in Kenya. She earned multiple international awards for her work with Kenyan women, but her own government arrested her. She was targeted for assassination, but she never lost sight of her cause.
In 2004, she was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize “for her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace.” It was the first time an African woman won the prize, and she was the first environmentalist to earn the title. Until her death in 2011, she continued her work in government, sustainability, and peace.
The Green Belt Movement goes on under new leadership. In 2014, over 430,000 trees were planted in communities in Kenya. Stable communities create stable governments, which is why its work is so important to the country. Green Belt’s efforts now include sustainable energy and clean water. Wangari believed that a “values-based society was a prerequisite for prosperity and that empowering women was a key to breaking the cycle of poverty.”
Wangari is a role model for everyone. If you can find a copy of “Unbowed: A Memoir,” it’s a book worth picking up to see how this woman from a small village went on to become a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.
