Biologist, Activist
Through her activism for conservation and women’s rights, Dr. Maathai is the first African female to have received the Nobel Peace Prize. She was also the first female from East and Central Africa to earn a doctorate degree.
Founder of the Green Belt Movement, an organization focused on the planting of trees, environmental conservation, and women’s rights, she inspired women to start thinking ecologically and to plant trees in their local environments. She encouraged women to work together to help improve their lives and their community. This movement spread to other African countries.
3 Things We Love About Wangari:
- She was outspoken for what she believed in, even if it made others uncomfortable.
- Her organization, The Greenbelt Movement, has planted more that 30 million trees!
- When she had the stage, she would frequently share her concerns about human rights, women’s issues, and AIDS prevention.