06/12/2025
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Environmental and social activist Wangari Maathai was a Nobel Prize laureate of many firsts: the first woman in East and Central Africa to earn a doctorate degree, the first female professor in Kenya and the first African woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Born in Nyeri County, Kenya, Maathai grew up in the rural Kenyan countryside. As a child she was sent to a mission school, she then went onto study at university in the United States. Maathai completed her studies by gaining a PhD from the University of Nairobi, a university she later taught at as a professor.
In 1976, Maathai introduced the idea of community-based tree planting in Kenya. The idea was developed into a broad-based grassroots organisation, the Green Belt Movement (GBM). GBM became a symbol for democratic struggle, gave jobs to women, and led to the planting of more than 50 million trees. Maathai had introduced an idea that was practical, ecological and holistic and she spent the rest of her life travelling the world trying to campaign for climate change and environmental justice.
She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004 for "her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace."
Read more about her life and achievements: https://bit.ly/3VqinkE
