Wangari Muta Maathai was born in Kenya in 1940. As the eldest daughter of six children, Maathai might have been expected to forgo听education in order to help run the household. But her parents听encouraged their daughter's schooling and in the early 60s she won a scholarship to Mount St Scholastica College in Kansas. In 1964听she graduated in Biological Science and remained in America to study for her听Master of Science.听When she听returned to Africa to听teach and to study at听the University of Nairobi, she became the first woman in East and Central Africa to obtain a听doctorate. She went on to become the first woman to hold an associate professorship at the university and the first woman to chair a department.听
But it was whilst听working with the听National Council of Women of Kenya that Wangari's simple idea听of encouraging women to听plant and tend trees really took hold.听Thousands of women benefitted from the employment - as did the environment.听The Green Belt Movement was launched听in 1977, and in 1986 a Green Belt network was听established across Africa.听GMB aimed to do more than grow trees, it wanted to show people that they could be responsible for their own lives.
Wangari is active on many issues,听fighting听tirelessly for democracy, human rights as well as the environment.听She has received many awards and has been honoured in many countries and by many institutions,听but it is her work with the Green Belt Movement that brought her the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004 'for her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace'.听 She is the first African woman to receive the prize.听
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