Matthai, W

=<div><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai</a></div><div>
</div><div>Wangarĩ Muta Maathai (wàŋɡàˈɹɛ |m|ɑː|ˈ|t|aɪ; 1 April 1940 – 25 September 2011) was a renowned Kenyan social, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_environment" title="Natural environment" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">environmental</a> and political activist and the first African woman to win the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobel_Laureate" class="mw-redirect" title="Nobel Laureate" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Nobel Prize</a>.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-1" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[1]</a> She was educated in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States" title="United States" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">United States</a> at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_St.Scholastica" class="mw-redirect" title="Mount St. Scholastica" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Mount St. Scholastica</a> (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benedictine_College" title="Benedictine College" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Benedictine College</a>) and the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Pittsburgh" title="University of Pittsburgh" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">University of Pittsburgh</a>, as well as the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Nairobi" title="University of Nairobi" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">University of Nairobi</a> in Kenya.In 1977, Maathai founded the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Belt_Movement" title="Green Belt Movement" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Green Belt Movement</a>,<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-2" style="text-decoration-line: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[2]</a> an environmental non-governmental organization focused on the planting of trees, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_conservation" class="mw-redirect" title="Environmental conservation" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">environmental conservation</a>, and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_rights" title="Women's rights" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">women's rights</a>. In 1984, she was awarded the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_Livelihood_Award" title="Right Livelihood Award" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Right Livelihood Award</a> in 2004. Maathai was an elected <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Assembly_of_Kenya" class="mw-redirect" title="National Assembly of Kenya" style="background: none; text-decoration-line: none;">member of Parliament</a> and served as assistant minister for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_environment" title="Natural environment" style="background: none; text-decoration-line: none;">Environment</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_resource" title="Natural resource" style="background: none; text-decoration-line: none;">Natural resources</a> in the government of President <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mwai_Kibaki" title="Mwai Kibaki" style="background: none; text-decoration-line: none;">Mwai Kibaki</a> between January 2003 and November 2005. She was an Honorary Councillor of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Future_Council" title="World Future Council" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">World Future Council</a>. She was affiliated to professional bodies and received several awards.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-3" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[3]</a> On Sunday, 25 September 2011, Maathai died of complications from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ovarian_cancer" title="Ovarian cancer" style="background: none; text-decoration-line: none;">ovarian cancer</a>.
<div id="toc" class="toc" style="border: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); padding: 7px; display: table; zoom: 1;"><input type="checkbox" role="button" id="toctogglecheckbox" class="toctogglecheckbox" style="direction: ltr; position: absolute; opacity: 0; z-index: -1; display: none;" /><div class="toctitle" lang="en" dir="ltr" style="direction: ltr; text-align: center;"><h2 style="background: none; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border: 0px; display: inline; line-height: 1.3;">Contents</h2><label class="toctogglelabel" for="toctogglecheckbox" style="cursor: pointer;" /></div><ul style="margin: 0.3em 0px; padding: 0px; list-style-image: none; list-style-type: none;"><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-1" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#Early_life_and_education" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">1Early life and education</a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-2" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#1972%E2%80%931977:Activism_and_political_life" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">21972–1977: Activism and political life</a><ul style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 2em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: none; list-style-type: none;"><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-3" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#1977%E2%80%931979:Personal_problems" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">2.11977–1979: Personal problems</a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-4" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#1979%E2%80%931982:Political_problems" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">2.21979–1982: Political problems</a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-5" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#Green_Belt_Movement" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">2.3Green Belt Movement</a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-6" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#Government_intervention" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">2.4Government intervention</a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-7" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#Push_for_democracy" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">2.5Push for democracy</a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-8" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#Election_to_parliament" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">2.6Election to parliament</a></li></ul></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-9" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#2004_Nobel_Peace_Prize" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">32004 Nobel Peace Prize</a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-10" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#AIDS" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">4AIDS</a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-11" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#2005%E2%80%932011:Later_life" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">52005–2011: Later life</a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-12" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#Wangar%C4%A9_Maathai_Forest_Champion_Award" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">6Wangarĩ Maathai Forest Champion Award</a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-13" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#Posthumous_recognition" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">7Posthumous recognition</a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-14" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#Selected_publications" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">8Selected publications</a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-15" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#Honours" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">9Honours</a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-16" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#See_also" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">10See also</a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-17" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#References" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">11References</a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-18" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#Further_reading" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">12Further reading</a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-19" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#External_links" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">13External links</a></li></ul></div><h2 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); line-height: 1.3;">Early life and education[<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wangari_Maathai&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Early life and education" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">edit</a>]</h2>On 1 April 1940, Maathai was born in the village of Ihithe, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyeri_District" class="mw-redirect" title="Nyeri District" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Nyeri District</a>,<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-4" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[4]</a> in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Province(Kenya)" title="Central Province (Kenya)" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">central highlands</a> of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colony_of_Kenya" class="mw-redirect" title="Colony of Kenya" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">colony of Kenya</a>. Her family was <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kikuyu_people" title="Kikuyu people" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Kikuyu</a>, the most populous <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ethnic_groups_of_Kenya" class="mw-redirect" title="List of ethnic groups of Kenya" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">ethnic group in Kenya</a>, and had lived in the area for several generations.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-5" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[5]</a> Around 1943, Maathai's family relocated to a White-owned farm in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rift_Valley_Province" title="Rift Valley Province" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Rift Valley</a>, near the town of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nakuru" title="Nakuru" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Nakuru</a>, where her father had found work.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-6" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[6]</a> Late in 1947, she returned to Ihithe with her mother, as two of her brothers were attending primary school in the village, and there was no schooling available on the farm where her father worked. Her father remained at the farm.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-7" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[7]</a> Shortly afterward, at the age of eight, she joined her brothers at Ihithe Primary School.At the age of 11, Maathai moved to St. Cecilia's Intermediate Primary School, a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boarding_school" title="Boarding school" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">boarding school</a> at the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyeri#Religion" title="Nyeri" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Mathari Catholic Mission</a> in Nyeri.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-8" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[8]</a> Maathai studied at St. Cecilia's for four years. During this time, she became fluent in English and converted to Catholicism. She was involved with the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legion_of_Mary" title="Legion of Mary" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Legion of Mary</a>, whose members attempted "to serve God by serving fellow human beings."<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-9" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[9]</a> Studying at St. Cecilia's, she was sheltered from the ongoing <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mau_Mau_uprising" class="mw-redirect" title="Mau Mau uprising" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Mau Mau uprising</a>, which forced her mother to move from their homestead to an emergency village in Ihithe.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-10" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[10]</a>When she completed her studies there in 1956, she was rated first in her class, and was granted admission to the only Catholic high school for girls in Kenya, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loreto_High_School,Limuru" title="Loreto High School, Limuru" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Loreto High School</a> in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limuru" title="Limuru" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Limuru</a>.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-11" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[11]</a>As the end of East African colonialism approached, Kenyan politicians, such as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Mboya" title="Tom Mboya" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Tom Mboya</a>, were proposing ways to make education in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_world#Modern_definitions" title="Western world" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Western nations</a> available to promising students. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_F.Kennedy" title="John F. Kennedy" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">John F. Kennedy</a>, then a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senator" class="mw-redirect" title="United States Senator" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">United States Senator</a>, agreed to fund such a program through the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_P.Kennedy_Jr.Foundation" title="Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation</a>, initiating what became known as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kennedy_Airlift" title="The Kennedy Airlift" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">the Kennedy Airlift</a> or Airlift Africa. Maathai became one of some 300 Kenyans selected to study in the United States in September 1960.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-12" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[12]</a><div class="quotebox pullquote floatright" style="clear: right; float: right; position: relative; margin: 0.5em 0px 0.8em 1.4em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 240); border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 10px; max-width: 100%; width: 300px;"><div class="quotebox-quote quoted left-aligned">Nothing is more beautiful than cultivating the land at dusk. At that time of day in the central highlands the air and the soil are cool, the sun is going down, the sunlight is golden against the ridges and the green of trees, and there is usually a breeze. As you remove the weeds and press the earth around the crops you feel content, and wish the light would last longer so you could cultivate more. Earth and water, air and waning fire of the sun combine to form the essential elements of life and reveal to me my kinship with the soil. When I was a child I sometimes became so absorbed working in the fields with my machete that I didn't notice the end of the day until it got so dark that I could no longer differentiate between the weeds and crops. At that point I knew it was time to go home, on the narrow paths that criss crossed the fields and rivers and woodlots.</div><cite class="center-aligned" style="font-style: normal; display: block; text-align: center;">Wangarĩ Muta Maathai – Unbowed, p. 47.</cite></div>She received a scholarship to study at Mount St. Scholastica College (now <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benedictine_College" title="Benedictine College" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Benedictine College</a>), in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atchison,Kansas" title="Atchison, Kansas" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Atchison, Kansas</a>, where she <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academic_major" class="mw-redirect" title="Academic major" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">majored</a> in biology, with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academic_minor" class="mw-redirect" title="Academic minor" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">minors</a> in chemistry and German.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-13" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[13]</a> After receiving her bachelor of science degree in 1964, she studied at the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Pittsburgh" title="University of Pittsburgh" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">University of Pittsburgh</a> for a master's degree in biology. Her graduate studies there were funded by the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africa-America_Institute" title="Africa-America Institute" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Africa-America Institute</a>,<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-14" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[14]</a> and during her time in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburgh" title="Pittsburgh" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Pittsburgh</a>, she first experienced <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_restoration" title="Environmental restoration" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">environmental restoration</a>, when local environmentalists pushed to rid the city of air pollution.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-15" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[15]</a> In January 1966, Maathai received her MSc in biological sciences,<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-UNCCD-16" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[16]</a> and was appointed to a position as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Research_assistant" title="Research assistant" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">research assistant</a> to a professor of zoology at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Nairobi" title="University of Nairobi" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">University College of Nairobi</a>.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-17" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[17]</a>Upon returning to Kenya, Maathai dropped her forename, preferring to be known by her birth name, Wangarĩ Muta.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-18" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[18]</a> When she arrived at the university to start her new job, she was informed that it had been given to someone else. Maathai believed this was because of gender and tribal bias.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-19" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[19]</a> After a two-month job search, Professor Reinhold Hofmann, from the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Giessen" title="University of Giessen" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">University of Giessen</a> in Germany, offered her a job as a research assistant in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microanatomy" class="mw-redirect" title="Microanatomy" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">microanatomy</a> section of the newly established Department of Veterinary Anatomy in the School of Veterinary Medicine at University College of Nairobi.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-20" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[20]</a> In April 1966, she met <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mwangi_Mathai&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Mwangi Mathai (page does not exist)" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Mwangi Mathai</a>, another Kenyan who had studied in America, who would later become her husband.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-21" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[21]</a> She also rented a small shop in the city, and established a general store, at which her sisters worked. In 1967, at the urging of Professor Hofmann, she travelled to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Giessen" title="University of Giessen" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">University of Giessen</a> in Germany in pursuit of a doctorate. She studied both at Giessen and the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Munich" class="mw-redirect" title="University of Munich" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">University of Munich</a>.In the spring of 1969, she returned to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nairobi" title="Nairobi" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Nairobi</a> to continue studies at the University College of Nairobi as an assistant lecturer. In May, she and Mwangi Mathai married.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-22" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[22]</a> Later that year, she became pregnant with her first child, and her husband campaigned for a seat in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Assembly_of_Kenya" class="mw-redirect" title="National Assembly of Kenya" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Parliament</a>, narrowly losing. During the course of the election, Tom Mboya, who had been instrumental in founding the program which sent her overseas, was assassinated. This led to President Kenyatta effectually ending multi-party democracy in Kenya. Shortly after, her first son, Waweru, was born.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-23" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[23]</a> In 1971, she became the first <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Africa" title="East Africa" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Eastern African</a> woman to receive a PhD, her doctorate in veterinary anatomy,<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-UNCCD-16" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[16]</a> from the University College of Nairobi, which became the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Nairobi" title="University of Nairobi" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">University of Nairobi</a> the following year. She completed her dissertation on the development and differentiation of gonads in bovines.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-24" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[24]</a> Her daughter, Wanjira, was born in December 1971.<h2 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); line-height: 1.3;">1972–1977: Activism and political life[<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wangari_Maathai&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: 1972–1977: Activism and political life" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">edit</a>]</h2>Maathai continued to teach at Nairobi, becoming a senior lecturer in anatomy in 1975, chair of the Department of Veterinary Anatomy in 1976 and associate professor in 1977. She was the first woman in Nairobi appointed to any of these positions.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-NobelBio-25" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[25]</a> During this time, she campaigned for equal benefits for the women working on the staff of the university, going so far as trying to turn the academic staff association of the university into a union, in order to negotiate for benefits. The courts denied this bid, but many of her demands for equal benefits were later met.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-26" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[26]</a> In addition to her work at the University of Nairobi, Maathai became involved in a number of civic organizations in the early 1970s. She was a member of the Nairobi branch of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Red_Cross_and_Red_Crescent_Movement" title="International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Kenya Red Cross Society</a>, becoming its director in 1973. She was a member of the Kenya Association of University Women. Following the establishment of the Environment Liaison Centre in 1974, Maathai was asked to be a member of the local board, eventually becoming board chair. The Environment Liaison Centre worked to promote the participation of non-governmental organizations in the work of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Environment_Programme" title="United Nations Environment Programme" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">United Nations Environment Programme</a> (UNEP), whose headquarters was established in Nairobi following the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Conference_on_the_Human_Environment" title="United Nations Conference on the Human Environment" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">United Nations Conference on the Human Environment</a> held in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockholm" title="Stockholm" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Stockholm</a> in 1972. Maathai also joined the National Council of Women of Kenya (NCWK).<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-27" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[27]</a> Through her work at these various volunteer associations, it became evident to Maathai that the root of most of Kenya's problems was environmental degradation.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-28" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[28]</a><div class="quotebox pullquote floatright" style="clear: right; float: right; position: relative; margin: 0.5em 0px 0.8em 1.4em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 240); border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 10px; max-width: 100%; width: 300px;"><div class="quotebox-quote quoted left-aligned">We hoped that these elections would provide the people of Kenya with a fairer and truer representation of their aspirations and beliefs. To our dismay and despair, however, the elections were the most disturbing and distorted in Kenya's history. The government introduced a highly controversial system of "queue" voting. Voters lined up behind their candidate and election officials counted each line and then told the people to go home. When election officials announced the winner, it was often the candidate with the shortest line of voters behind him! Since the voters were at home, there was nothing that could be done: The winner had been declared. The vote- rigging was so blatant that people who had lost their races were declared the winners in broad daylight with no embarrassment whatsoever on the part of the government… I knew that we could not live with a political system that killed creativity, nurtured corruption, and produced people who were afraid of their own leaders. It would be only a matter of time before the government and I came in to further conflict…</div><cite class="center-aligned" style="font-style: normal; display: block; text-align: center;">Wangarĩ Muta Maathai – Unbowed, pp. 182–183.</cite></div>In 1974, Maathai's family expanded to include her third child, son Muta. Her husband campaigned again for a seat in Parliament, hoping to represent the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Langata_Constituency" title="Langata Constituency" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Lang'ata constituency</a>, and won. During his campaign, he had promised to find jobs to limit the rising unemployment in Kenya. These promises led Maathai to connect her ideas of environmental restoration to providing jobs for the unemployed and led to the founding of Envirocare Ltd., a business that involved the planting of trees to conserve the environment, involving ordinary people in the process. This led to the planting of her first tree nursery, collocated with a government tree nursery in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karura_Forest" title="Karura Forest" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Karura Forest</a>. Envirocare ran into multiple problems, primarily dealing with funding. The project failed. However, through conversations concerning Envirocare and her work at the Environment Liaison Centre, UNEP made it possible to send Maathai to the first <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habitat_I" title="Habitat I" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">UN conference on human settlements</a>, known as Habitat I, in June 1976.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-29" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[29]</a>In 1977, Maathai spoke to the NCWK concerning her attendance at Habitat I. She proposed further tree planting, which the council supported. On 5 June 1977, marking World Environment Day, the NCWK marched in a procession from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenyatta_International_Conference_Centre" class="mw-redirect" title="Kenyatta International Conference Centre" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Kenyatta International Conference Centre</a> in downtown Nairobi to Kamukunji Park on the outskirts of the city, where they planted seven trees in honour of historical community leaders. This was the first "Green Belt", which was first known as the "Save the Land Harambee" and then became the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Belt_Movement" title="Green Belt Movement" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Green Belt Movement</a>.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-30" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[30]</a> Maathai encouraged the women of Kenya to plant tree nurseries throughout the country, searching nearby forests for seeds to grow trees native to the area. She agreed to pay the women a small stipend for each seedling which was later planted elsewhere.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-31" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[31]</a>In her 2010 book, Replenishing the Earth: Spiritual Values for Healing Ourselves and the World, she discussed the impact of the Green Belt Movement, explaining that the group's civic and environmental seminars stressed "the importance of communities taking responsibility for their actions and mobilizing to address their local needs," and adding, "We all need to work hard to make a difference in our neighborhoods, regions, and countries, and in the world as a whole. That means making sure we work hard, collaborate with each other, and make ourselves better agents to change." <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-32" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[32]</a><h3 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; line-height: 1.6;">1977–1979: Personal problems[<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wangari_Maathai&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: 1977–1979: Personal problems" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">edit</a>]</h3>Maathai and her husband, Mwangi Mathai, separated in 1977. After a lengthy separation, Mwangi filed for divorce in 1979. He was said to have believed that Wangari was "too strong-minded for a woman" and that he was "unable to control her". In addition to naming her as "cruel" in court filings, he publicly accused her of adultery with another Member of Parliament,<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-NYTNairobiJournal-33" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[33]</a> which in turn was thought to cause his high blood pressure and the judge ruled in Mwangi's favour. Shortly after the trial, in an interview with Viva magazine, Maathai referred to the judge as either incompetent or corrupt.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-NYTNairobiJournal-33" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[33]</a> The interview later led the judge to charge Maathai with contempt of court. She was found guilty and sentenced to six months in jail. After three days in Lang'ata Women's Prison in Nairobi, her lawyer formulated a statement which the court found sufficient for her release. Shortly after the divorce, her former husband sent a letter via his lawyer demanding that Maathai drop his surname. She chose to add an extra "a" instead of changing her name.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-34" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[34]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-35" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[35]</a>The divorce had been costly, and with lawyers' fees and the loss of her husband's income, Maathai found it difficult to provide for herself and her children on her university wages. An opportunity arose to work for the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_Commission_for_Africa" class="mw-redirect" title="Economic Commission for Africa" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Economic Commission for Africa</a> through the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Development_Programme" title="United Nations Development Programme" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">United Nations Development Programme</a>. As this job required extended travel throughout Africa and was based primarily in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lusaka,Zambia" class="mw-redirect" title="Lusaka, Zambia" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Lusaka, Zambia</a>, she was unable to bring her children with her. Maathai chose to send them to her ex-husband and take the job. While she visited them regularly, they lived with their father until 1985.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-36" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[36]</a><h3 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; line-height: 1.6;">1979–1982: Political problems[<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wangari_Maathai&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: 1979–1982: Political problems" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">edit</a>]</h3>In 1979, shortly after the divorce, Maathai ran for the position of chairperson of the National Council of Women of Kenya (NCWK), an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umbrella_organization" title="Umbrella organization" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">umbrella organization</a> consisting of many women's organizations in the country. The newly elected <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_Kenya" title="President of Kenya" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">President of Kenya</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_arap_Moi" title="Daniel arap Moi" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Daniel arap Moi</a>, tried to limit the amount of influence those of the Kikuyu ethnicity held in the country, including in volunteer civic organizations such as the NCWK. She lost this election by three votes, but was overwhelmingly chosen to be the vice-chairman of the organization. The following year, Maathai again ran for chairman of the NCWK. Again she was opposed, she believes, by the government. When it became apparent that Maathai was going to win the election, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maendeleo_Ya_Wanawake" title="Maendeleo Ya Wanawake" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Maendeleo Ya Wanawake</a>, a member organization which represented a majority of Kenya's rural women and whose leader was close to Arap Moi, withdrew from the NCWK. Maathai was then elected chairman of the NCWK unopposed. However, Maendeleo Ya Wanawake came to receive a majority of the financial support for women's programs in the country, and NCWK was left virtually bankrupt. Future funding was much more difficult to come by, but the NCWK survived by increasing its focus on the environment and making its presence and work known. Maathai continued to be reelected to serve as chairman of the organization every year until she retired from the position in 1987.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-37" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[37]</a><div class="quotebox pullquote floatright" style="clear: right; float: right; position: relative; margin: 0.5em 0px 0.8em 1.4em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 240); border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 10px; max-width: 100%; width: 300px;"><div class="quotebox-quote quoted left-aligned">It soon became obvious that politics was at play again. The ruling party didn't want me in Parliament and had figured out a way to stop me from getting there. Once again, I decided to fight by taking the authorities to court and challenging their reason for disqualifying me, which I knew to be completely illegal. The court sat at nine o'clock on a Saturday morning, but I was required to present my candidacy papers by noon that same day in Nyeri, which is nearly a three-hour drive from Nairobi. Seeing that it would be impossible for me to meet the deadline if I drove, some friends had hired a plane to take me to Nyeri as soon as the court rendered its verdict. By the time the Judge made his final ruling, disqualifying me from running for parliament, it was nearly midday. Even with the plane and favorable ruling, I would have arrived in Nyeri too late. My case, like many others, demonstrated a miscarriage of justice that was frequent at that time in Kenya and that led me, later, to be involved in the pro-democracy movement. Once again, I had lost in court. I would not be able to run.</div><cite class="center-aligned" style="font-style: normal; display: block; text-align: center;">Wangarĩ Muta Maathai – Unbowed, pp. 161.</cite></div>In 1982, the Parliamentary seat representing her home region of Nyeri was open, and Maathai decided to campaign for the seat. As required by law, she resigned her position with the University of Nairobi to campaign for office. The courts decided that she was ineligible to run for office because she had not re-registered to vote in the last presidential election in 1979. Maathai believed this to be false and illegal, and brought the matter to court. The court was to meet at nine in the morning, and if she received a favorable ruling, was required to present her candidacy papers in Nyeri by three in the afternoon that day. The judge disqualified her from running on a technicality.[<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Please_clarify" title="Wikipedia:Please clarify" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">clarification needed</a>] When she requested her job back, she was denied. As she lived in university housing and was no longer a staff member, she was evicted.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-38" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[38]</a><h3 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; line-height: 1.6;">Green Belt Movement</h3><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable" style="padding-left: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Main article: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Belt_Movement" title="Green Belt Movement" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Green Belt Movement</a></div>Maathai moved into a small home she had purchased years before, and focused on the NCWK while she searched for employment. In the course of her work through the NCWK, she was approached by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_Elsrud" title="Wilhelm Elsrud" style="background: none; text-decoration-line: none;">Wilhelm Elsrud</a>, executive director of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwegian_Forestry_Society" title="Norwegian Forestry Society" style="background: none; text-decoration-line: none;">Norwegian Forestry Society</a>. He wished to partner with the Green Belt Movement and offered her the position of coordinator. Employed again, Maathai poured her efforts into the Green Belt Movement. Along with the partnership for the Norwegian Forestry Society, the movement had also received "seed money" from the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Women. These funds allowed for the expansion of the movement, for hiring additional employees to oversee the operations, and for continuing to pay a small stipend to the women who planted seedlings throughout the country. It allowed her to refine the operations of the movement, paying a small stipend to the women's husbands and sons who were literate and able to keep accurate records of seedlings planted.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-39" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[39]</a><div class="quotebox pullquote floatright" style="clear: right; float: right; position: relative; margin: 0.5em 0px 0.8em 1.4em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 240); border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 10px; max-width: 100%; width: 300px;"><div class="quotebox-quote quoted left-aligned">Although I was a highly educated woman, it did not seem odd to me to work with my hands, often with my knees on the ground, alongside rural woman. Some politicians and others in the 1980s and 1990s ridiculed me for doing so. But I had no problem with it, and the rural women both accepted and appreciated that I was working with them to improve their lives and the environment. After all, I was a child of the same soil. Education, if it means anything, should not take people away from land, but instill in them, even more, respect for it, because educated people are in a position to understand what is being lost. The future of the planet concerns all of us, and we should do what we can to protect it. As I told the foresters, and the women, you don't need a diploma to plant a tree.</div><cite class="center-aligned" style="font-style: normal; display: block; text-align: center;">Wangarĩ Muta Maathai – Unbowed, pp. 137–138.</cite></div>The UN held the third global women's conference in Nairobi. During the conference, Maathai arranged seminars and presentations to describe the work the Green Belt Movement was doing in Kenya. She escorted delegates to see nurseries and plant trees. She met Peggy Snyder, the head of UNIFEM, and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helvi_Sipil%C3%A4" title="Helvi Sipilä" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Helvi Sipilä</a>, the first woman appointed a UN assistant secretary general. The conference helped to expand funding for the Green Belt Movement and led to the movement's establishing itself outside Kenya. In 1986, with funding from UNEP, the movement expanded throughout Africa and led to the foundation of the Pan-African Green Belt Network. Forty-five representatives from fifteen African countries travelled to Kenya over the next three years to learn how to set up similar programs in their own countries to combat desertification, deforestation, water crises, and rural hunger. The attention the movement received in the media led to Maathai's being honored with numerous awards. The government of Kenya, however, demanded that the Green Belt Movement separate from the NCWK, believing the latter should focus solely on women's issues, not the environment. Therefore, in 1987, Maathai stepped down as chairman of the NCWK and focused on the newly separate non-governmental organization.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-40" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[40]</a><h3 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; line-height: 1.6;">Government intervention[<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wangari_Maathai&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: Government intervention" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">edit</a>]</h3>In the latter half of the 1980s, the Kenyan government came down against Maathai and the Green Belt Movement. The single-party regime opposed many of the movement's positions regarding democratic rights. The government invoked a colonial-era law prohibiting groups of more than nine people from meeting without a government license. In 1988, the Green Belt Movement carried out pro-democracy activities such as registering voters for the election and pressing for constitutional reform and freedom of expression. The government carried out electoral fraud in the elections to maintain power, according to Maathai.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-41" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[41]</a>In October 1989, Maathai learned of a plan to construct the 60-storey Kenya Times Media Trust Complex in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uhuru_Park" title="Uhuru Park" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Uhuru Park</a>. The complex was intended to house the headquarters of KANU, the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenya_Times" title="Kenya Times" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Kenya Times</a> newspaper, a trading center, offices, an auditorium, galleries, shopping malls, and parking space for 2,000 cars. The plan also included a large statue of President Daniel Arap Moi. Maathai wrote many letters in protest to, among others, the Kenya Times, the Office of the President, the Nairobi city commission, the provincial commissioner, the minister for environment and natural resources, the executive directors of UNEP and the Environment Liaison Centre International, the executive director of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Educational,Scientific_and_Cultural_Organization" class="mw-redirect" title="United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization</a> (UNESCO), the ministry of public works, and the permanent secretary in the department of international security and administration all received letters. She wrote to Sir John Johnson, the British high commissioner in Nairobi, urging him to intervene with Robert Maxwell, a major shareholder in the project, equating the construction of a tower in Uhuru Park to such construction in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyde_Park,London" title="Hyde Park, London" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Hyde Park</a> or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Park" title="Central Park" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Central Park</a> and maintaining that it could not be tolerated.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-42" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[42]</a><div class="quotebox pullquote floatright" style="clear: right; float: right; position: relative; margin: 0.5em 0px 0.8em 1.4em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 240); border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 10px; max-width: 100%; width: 300px;"><div class="quotebox-quote quoted left-aligned">When I see Uhuru Park and contemplate its meaning, I feel compelled to fight for it so that my grandchildren may share that dream and that joy of freedom as they one day walk there.</div><cite class="center-aligned" style="font-style: normal; display: block; text-align: center;">Wangarĩ Muta Maathai – Unbowed, p. 192.</cite></div>The government refused to respond to her inquiries and protests, instead responding through the media that Maathai was "a crazy woman"; that denying the project in Uhuru Park would take more than a small portion of public park land; and proclaiming the project as a "fine and magnificent work of architecture" opposed by only the "ignorant few." On 8 November 1989, Parliament expressed outrage at Maathai's actions, complaining of her letters to foreign organizations and calling the Green Belt Movement a bogus organization and its members "a bunch of divorcees". They suggested that if Maathai was so comfortable writing to Europeans, perhaps she should go live in Europe.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-43" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[43]</a>Despite Maathai's protests, as well as popular protest growing throughout the city, the ground was broken at Uhuru Park for construction of the complex on 15 November 1989. Maathai sought an injunction in the Kenya High Court to halt construction, but the case was thrown out on 11 December. In his first public comments pertaining to the project, President Daniel Arap Moi stated that those who opposed the project had "insects in their heads". On 12 December, in Uhuru Park, during a speech celebrating independence from the British, President Moi suggested Maathai be a proper woman in the African tradition and respect men and be quiet.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-44" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[44]</a> She was forced by the government to vacate her office, and the Green Belt Movement was moved into her home. The government then audited the Green Belt Movement in an apparent attempt to shut it down. Despite all this, her protests, the government's response – and the media coverage it garnered – led foreign investors to cancel the project in January 1990.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-Ecologist-45" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[45]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-46" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[46]</a>In January 1992, it came to the attention of Maathai and other pro-democracy activists that a list of people were targeted for assassination and that a government-sponsored coup was possible. Maathai's name was on the list. The pro-democracy group, known as the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forum_for_the_Restoration_of_Democracy%E2%80%93Kenya" class="mw-redirect" title="Forum for the Restoration of Democracy–Kenya" style="background: none; text-decoration-line: none;">Forum for the Restoration of Democracy</a> (FORD), presented its information to the media, calling for a general election. Later that day, Maathai received a warning that one of their members had been arrested. Maathai decided to barricade herself in her home. Shortly thereafter, police arrived and surrounded the house. She was besieged for three days before police cut through the bars she had installed on her windows, came in, and arrested her. She and the other pro-democracy activists who had been arrested were charged with spreading malicious rumors, sedition, and treason. After a day and a half in jail, they were brought to a hearing and released on bail. A variety of international organizations and eight senators (including <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Gore" title="Al Gore" style="background: none; text-decoration-line: none;">Al Gore</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_M.Kennedy" class="mw-redirect" title="Edward M. Kennedy" style="background: none; text-decoration-line: none;">Edward M. Kennedy</a>) put pressure on the Kenyan government to substantiate the charges against the pro-democracy activists or risk damaging relations with the United States. In November 1992, the Kenyan government dropped the charges.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-47" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[47]</a>On 28 February 1992, while released on bail, Maathai and others took part in a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunger_strike" title="Hunger strike" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">hunger strike</a> in a corner of Uhuru Park, which they labeled Freedom Corner, to pressure the government to release <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_prisoner" title="Political prisoner" style="background: none; text-decoration-line: none;">political prisoners</a>. After four days of hunger strike, on 3 March 1992, the police forcibly removed the protesters. Maathai and three others were knocked unconscious by police and hospitalized.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-NYTLikeaTree-48" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[48]</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heads_of_State_of_Kenya" class="mw-redirect" title="Heads of State of Kenya" style="background: none; text-decoration-line: none;">President</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_arap_Moi" title="Daniel arap Moi" style="background: none; text-decoration-line: none;">Daniel arap Moi</a> called her "a mad woman" and "a threat to the order and security of the country".<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-EAN-49" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[49]</a> The attack drew international criticism. The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_State_Department" class="mw-redirect" title="US State Department" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">US State Department</a> said it was "deeply concerned" by the violence and by the forcible removal of the hunger strikers.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-NYTViolence-50" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[50]</a> When the prisoners were not released, the protesters – mostly mothers of those in prison – moved their protest to All Saints Cathedral, the seat of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglican_Church_of_Kenya" title="Anglican Church of Kenya" style="background: none; text-decoration-line: none;">Anglican Archbishop in Kenya</a>, across from Uhuru Park. The protest there continued, with Maathai contributing frequently, until early 1993, when the prisoners were finally released.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-51" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[51]</a>During this time, Maathai was recognized with various awards internationally, but the Kenyan government did not appreciate her work. In 1991 she received the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldman_Environmental_Prize" title="Goldman Environmental Prize" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Goldman Environmental Prize</a> in San Francisco and the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunger_Project" class="mw-redirect" title="Hunger Project" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Hunger Project</a>'s Africa Prize for Leadership in London. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CNN" title="CNN" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">CNN</a> aired a three-minute segment about the Goldman prize, but when it aired in Kenya, that segment was cut out. In June 1992, during the long protest at Uhuru Park, both Maathai and President arap Moi travelled to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rio_de_Janeiro" title="Rio de Janeiro" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Rio de Janeiro</a> for the UN Conference on Environment and Development (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Summit" title="Earth Summit" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Earth Summit</a>). The Kenyan government accused Maathai of inciting women and encouraging them to strip at Freedom Corner, urging that she not be allowed to speak at the summit. Despite this, Maathai was chosen to be a chief spokesperson at the summit.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-52" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[52]</a><h3 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; line-height: 1.6;">Push for democracy[<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wangari_Maathai&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: Push for democracy" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">edit</a>]</h3>During the first multi-party <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_Kenyan_general_election" title="1992 Kenyan general election" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">election of Kenya, in 1992</a>, Maathai strove to unite the opposition and for fair elections in Kenya. The Forum for the Restoration of Democracy (FORD) had fractured into <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FORD-Kenya" class="mw-redirect" title="FORD-Kenya" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">FORD-Kenya</a> (led by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oginga_Odinga" class="mw-redirect" title="Oginga Odinga" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Oginga Odinga</a>) and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FORD-Asili" class="mw-redirect" title="FORD-Asili" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">FORD-Asili</a> (led by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth_Matiba" title="Kenneth Matiba" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Kenneth Matiba</a>); former <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vice-President_of_Kenya" class="mw-redirect" title="Vice-President of Kenya" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">vice president</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mwai_Kibaki" title="Mwai Kibaki" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Mwai Kibaki</a> had left the ruling <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenya_African_National_Union" title="Kenya African National Union" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Kenya African National Union</a> (KANU) party, and formed the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Party(Kenya)" title="Democratic Party (Kenya)" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Democratic Party</a>. Maathai and many others believed such a fractured opposition would lead to KANU's retaining control of the country, so they formed the Middle Ground Group in an effort to unite the opposition. Maathai was chosen to serve as its chairperson. Also during the election, Maathai and like-minded opposition members formed the Movement for Free and Fair Elections. Despite their efforts, the opposition did not unite, and the ruling KANU party used intimidation and state-held media to win the election, retaining control of parliament.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-53" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[53]</a><div class="quotebox pullquote floatright" style="clear: right; float: right; position: relative; margin: 0.5em 0px 0.8em 1.4em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 240); border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 10px; max-width: 100%; width: 300px;"><div class="quotebox-quote quoted left-aligned">It is often difficult to describe to those who live in a free society what life is like in an authoritarian regime. You don't know who to trust. You worry that you, your family, or your friends will be arrested and jailed without due process. The fear of political violence or death, whether through direct assassinations or targeted "accidents", is constant. Such was the case in Kenya, especially during the 1990s.</div><cite class="center-aligned" style="font-style: normal; display: block; text-align: center;">Wangarĩ Muta Maathai – Unbowed, p. 206.</cite></div>The following year, ethnic clashes occurred throughout Kenya. Maathai believed they were incited by the government, who had warned of stark consequences to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-party_democracy" class="mw-redirect" title="Multi-party democracy" style="background: none; text-decoration-line: none;">multi-party democracy</a>. Maathai travelled with friends and the press to areas of violence in order to encourage them to cease fighting. With the Green Belt Movement she planted "trees of peace", but before long her actions were opposed by the government. The conflict areas were labeled as "no go zones", and in February 1993 the president claimed that Maathai had masterminded a distribution of leaflets inciting <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kikuyu_people" title="Kikuyu people" style="background: none; text-decoration-line: none;">Kikuyus</a> to attack <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalenjin_people" title="Kalenjin people" style="background: none; text-decoration-line: none;">Kalenjins</a>. After her friend and supporter Dr. Makanga was kidnapped, Maathai chose to go into hiding. While in hiding, Maathai was invited to a meeting in Tokyo of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Cross_International" title="Green Cross International" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Green Cross International</a>, an environmental organization recently founded by former Soviet leader <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikhail_Gorbachev" title="Mikhail Gorbachev" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Mikhail Gorbachev</a>. When Maathai responded that she could not attend as she did not believe the government would allow her to leave the country and she was in hiding, Gorbachev pressured the government of Kenya to allow her to travel freely. President arap Moi denied limiting her travel, and she was allowed to leave the country, although too late for the meeting in Tokyo. Maathai was again recognized internationally, and she flew to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotland" title="Scotland" style="background: none; text-decoration-line: none;">Scotland</a> to receive the Edinburgh Medal in April 1993. In May she went to Chicago to receive the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Addams" title="Jane Addams" style="background: none; text-decoration-line: none;">Jane Addams</a> International Women's Leadership Award, and in June she attended the UN's <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Conference_on_Human_Rights" title="World Conference on Human Rights" style="background: none; text-decoration-line: none;">World Conference on Human Rights</a> in Vienna.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-54" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[54]</a>During the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1997_Kenyan_general_election" title="1997 Kenyan general election" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">elections of 1997</a>, Maathai again wished to unite the opposition in order to defeat the ruling party. In November, less than two months before the election, she decided to run for parliament and for president as a candidate of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazingira_Green_Party_of_Kenya" title="Mazingira Green Party of Kenya" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Liberal Party</a>. Her intentions were widely questioned in the press; many believed she should simply stick to running the Green Belt Movement and stay out of politics. On the day of the election, a rumour that Maathai had withdrawn from the election and endorsed another candidate was printed in the media. Maathai garnered few votes and lost the election.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-55" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[55]</a>In the summer of 1998, Maathai learned of a government plan to privatize large areas of public land in the Karura Forest, just outside Nairobi, and give it to political supporters. Maathai protested this through letters to the government and the press. She went with the Green Belt Movement to Karura Forest, planting trees and protesting the destruction of the forest. On 8 January 1999, a group of protesters including Maathai, six opposition MPs, journalists, international observers, and Green Belt members and supporters returned to the forest to plant a tree in protest. The entry to the forest was guarded by a large group of men. When she tried to plant a tree in an area that had been designated to be cleared for a golf course, the group was attacked. Many of the protesters were injured, including Maathai, four MPs, some of the journalists, and German environmentalists. When she reported the attack to the police, they refused to return with her to the forest to arrest her attackers. However, the attack had been filmed by Maathai's supporters, and the event provoked international outrage.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-Ecologist-45" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[45]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-56" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[56]</a> Student protests broke out throughout Nairobi, and some of these groups were violently broken up by the police. Protests continued until 16 August 1999, when the president announced that he was banning all allocation of public land.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-57" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[57]</a>In 2001, the government again planned to take public forest land and give it to its supporters. While protesting this and collecting <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petition" title="Petition" style="background: none; text-decoration-line: none;">petition</a> signatures on 7 March 2001, in Wang'uru village near <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Kenya" title="Mount Kenya" style="background: none; text-decoration-line: none;">Mount Kenya</a>, Maathai was again arrested. The following day, following international and popular protest at her arrest, she was released without being charged. On 7 July 2001, shortly after planting trees at Freedom Corner in Uhuru Park in Nairobi to commemorate <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saba_Saba_Day" title="Saba Saba Day" style="background: none; text-decoration-line: none;">Saba Saba Day</a>, Maathai was again arrested. Later that evening, she was again released without being charged.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-58" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[58]</a> In January 2002, Maathai returned to teaching as the Dorothy McCluskey Visiting Fellow for Conservation at the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yale_University" title="Yale University" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Yale University</a>'s <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yale_School_of_Forestry_and_Environmental_Studies" class="mw-redirect" title="Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">School of Forestry and Environmental Studies</a>. She remained there until June 2002, teaching a course on sustainable development focused on the work of the Green Belt Movement.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-59" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[59]</a><h3 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; line-height: 1.6;">Election to parliament[<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wangari_Maathai&action=edit&section=8" title="Edit section: Election to parliament" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">edit</a>]</h3><div class="thumb tleft" style="float: left; clear: left; margin: 0.5em 1.4em 1.3em 0px; width: auto; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="thumbinner" style="min-width: 100px; border: 1px solid rgb(200, 204, 209); padding: 3px; background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); text-align: center; overflow: hidden; width: 202px;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wangari_Maathai_social_forum.jpg" class="image" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/db/Wangari_Maathai_social_forum.jpg/200px-Wangari_Maathai_social_forum.jpg" decoding="async" width="200" height="150" class="thumbimage" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/db/Wangari_Maathai_social_forum.jpg/300px-Wangari_Maathai_social_forum.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/db/Wangari_Maathai_social_forum.jpg/400px-Wangari_Maathai_social_forum.jpg 2x" data-file-width="2000" data-file-height="1500" style="border: 1px solid rgb(200, 204, 209); vertical-align: middle; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" /></a><div class="thumbcaption" style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; padding: 3px; text-align: left;"><div class="magnify" style="float: right; margin-left: 3px; margin-right: 0px;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wangari_Maathai_social_forum.jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" csvg="Csvg" width="width" height="height" viewbox="%220" e="E" cg="Cg" id="%22smallbox%22" fill="%22%23fff%22" stroke="%22%23000%22%3E" cpath="Cpath" d="%22M-1.499" h10.99v7.919h1.509z="h10.99v7.919H1.509z" h5.943v4.904h-5.943z="h5.943v4.904h-5.943z" c="C" g="g" display="display" block="block" text-indent="text-indent" px="px" white-space="white-space" nowrap="nowrap" overflow="overflow" hidden="hidden" user-select="user-select" none="none" xmlns="%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22" xmlns:data="data" /></div><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wangari_Maathai_social_forum.jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" csvg="Csvg" width="width" height="height" viewbox="%220" e="E" cg="Cg" id="%22smallbox%22" fill="%22%23fff%22" stroke="%22%23000%22%3E" cpath="Cpath" d="%22M-1.499" h10.99v7.919h1.509z="h10.99v7.919H1.509z" h5.943v4.904h-5.943z="h5.943v4.904h-5.943z" c="C" g="g" display="display" block="block" text-indent="text-indent" px="px" white-space="white-space" nowrap="nowrap" overflow="overflow" hidden="hidden" user-select="user-select" none="none" xmlns="%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22" xmlns:data="data">Wangari Maathai speaks about deforestation</a></div></div></div><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wangari_Maathai_social_forum.jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" csvg="Csvg" width="width" height="height" viewbox="%220" e="E" cg="Cg" id="%22smallbox%22" fill="%22%23fff%22" stroke="%22%23000%22%3E" cpath="Cpath" d="%22M-1.499" h10.99v7.919h1.509z="h10.99v7.919H1.509z" h5.943v4.904h-5.943z="h5.943v4.904h-5.943z" c="C" g="g" display="display" block="block" text-indent="text-indent" px="px" white-space="white-space" nowrap="nowrap" overflow="overflow" hidden="hidden" user-select="user-select" none="none" xmlns="%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22" xmlns:data="data">Upon her return to Kenya, Maathai again campaigned for parliament in the </a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_Kenyan_general_election" title="2002 Kenyan general election" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">2002 elections</a>, this time as a candidate of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Rainbow_Coalition" title="National Rainbow Coalition" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">National Rainbow Coalition</a>, the umbrella organization which finally united the opposition. On 27 December 2002, the Rainbow Coalition defeated the ruling party <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenya_African_National_Union" title="Kenya African National Union" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Kenya African National Union</a>, and in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetu_Constituency" title="Tetu Constituency" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Tetu Constituency</a> Maathai won with an overwhelming 98% of the vote.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-60" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[60]</a> In January 2003, she was appointed Assistant Minister in the Ministry for Environment and Natural Resources and served in that capacity until November 2005.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-UNCCD-16" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[16]</a> She founded the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazingira_Green_Party_of_Kenya" title="Mazingira Green Party of Kenya" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Mazingira Green Party of Kenya</a> in 2003 to allow candidates to run on a platform of conservation as embodied by the Green Belt Movement. It is a member of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federation_of_Green_Parties_of_Africa" title="Federation of Green Parties of Africa" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Federation of Green Parties of Africa</a> and the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Greens" title="Global Greens" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Global Greens</a>.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-61" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[61]</a><h2 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); line-height: 1.3;">2004 Nobel Peace Prize [<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wangari_Maathai&action=edit&section=9" title="Edit section: 2004 Nobel Peace Prize" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">edit</a>]</h2>Wangarĩ Maathai was awarded the 2004 <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobel_Peace_Prize" title="Nobel Peace Prize" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Nobel Peace Prize</a> for her "contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace".<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-62" style="text-decoration-line: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[62]</a> She had received a call from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ole_Danbolt_Mjos" class="mw-redirect" title="Ole Danbolt Mjos" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Ole Danbolt Mjos</a>, chair of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwegian_Nobel_Committee" title="Norwegian Nobel Committee" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Norwegian Nobel Committee</a>, on 8 October informing her of the news.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-63" style="text-decoration-line: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[63]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-Nobel-64" style="text-decoration-line: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[64]</a> She became the first African woman, and the first environmentalist, to win the prize.<div class="quotebox pullquote floatright" style="clear: right; float: right; position: relative; margin: 0.5em 0px 0.8em 1.4em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 240); border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 10px; max-width: 100%; width: 300px;"><div class="quotebox-quote quoted left-aligned">I was not prepared to learn that I had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize; I wonder whether anybody ever is. The news hit me like a thunderbolt. How was I supposed to handle it? How did this happen? How did they find such a person as me? I could hardly believe it . It was clear now why the Norwegian ambassador had called. "I am being informed that I have won the Nobel Peace Prize," I announced to myself and those around me in the car with a smile as I pulled the cell phone away from my ear and reconnected with my fellow passengers. They knew it was not a joke because happiness was written all over my face. But at the same time, tears streamed from my eyes and onto my cheeks as I turned to them. They, too, were now smiling broadly, some cheering and hugging me as if to both comfort and congratulate me, letting my tears fall on their shoulders and hiding my face from some of my staff, whom they felt shouldn't see me cry. But these were tears of great joy at an extraordinary moment!</div><cite class="center-aligned" style="font-style: normal; display: block; text-align: center;">Wangarĩ Muta Maathai – Unbowed, p. 291-292.</cite></div><table class="cquote pullquote" role="presentation" style="margin: auto; border-collapse: collapse; border: none; width: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="width: 20px; vertical-align: top; border: none; font-weight: bold; line-height: 0.6em; padding: 10px;">“</td><td style="vertical-align: top; border: none; padding: 4px 10px;">Maathai stood up courageously against the former oppressive regime in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenya" title="Kenya" style="text-decoration-line: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">Kenya</a>. Her unique forms of action have contributed to drawing attention to political oppression—nationally and internationally. She has served as inspiration for many in the fight for democratic rights and has especially encouraged women to better their situation.</td><td style="width: 20px; vertical-align: bottom; border: none; font-weight: bold; line-height: 0.6em; text-align: right; padding: 10px;">”</td></tr><tr><td colspan="3" class="cquotecite" style="border: none; padding-right: 31.9531px; line-height: normal; text-align: right;"><cite style="font-style: inherit;">— The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwegian_Nobel_Committee" title="Norwegian Nobel Committee" style="text-decoration-line: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">Norwegian Nobel Committee</a>, in a statement announcing her as the 2004 <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobel_Peace_Prize" title="Nobel Peace Prize" style="text-decoration-line: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">Nobel Peace Prize</a> winner.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-Nobel-64" style="text-decoration-line: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[64]</a></cite></td></tr></tbody></table>The 2016 documentary <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Innsaei:The_Power_of_Intuition&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Innsaei: The Power of Intuition (page does not exist)" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Innsaei: The Power of Intuition</a> is dedicated to her memory.<h2 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); line-height: 1.3;">AIDS[<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wangari_Maathai&action=edit&section=10" title="Edit section: AIDS" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">edit</a>]</h2>Controversy arose when it was reported by Kenyan newspaper <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Standard(Kenya)" title="The Standard (Kenya)" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">The Standard</a> that Maathai had claimed HIV/AIDS was "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_INFEKTION" class="mw-redirect" title="Operation INFEKTION" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">deliberately created by Western scientists</a> to decimate the African population."<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-rferl.org-65" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[65]</a> Maathai denied making the allegations, but The Standard has stood by its reports.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-rferl.org-65" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[65]</a>In a 2004 interview with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time(magazine)" title="Time (magazine)" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Time</a> magazine, in response to questions concerning that report, Maathai replied: "I have no idea who created AIDS and whether it is a biological agent or not. But I do know things like that don't come from the moon. I have always thought that it is important to tell people the truth, but I guess there is some truth that must not be too exposed," and when asked what she meant, she continued, "I'm referring to AIDS. I am sure people know where it came from. And I'm quite sure it did not come from the monkeys."<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-66" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[66]</a> In response she issued the following statement:<table class="cquote pullquote" role="presentation" style="margin: auto; border-collapse: collapse; border: none; width: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="width: 20px; vertical-align: top; border: none; font-weight: bold; line-height: 0.6em; padding: 10px;">“</td><td style="vertical-align: top; border: none; padding: 4px 10px;">I have warned people against false beliefs and misinformation such as attributing this disease to a curse from God or believing that sleeping with a virgin cures the infection. These prevalent beliefs in my region have led to an upsurge in rape and violence against children. It is within this context, also complicated by the cultural and religious perspective, that I often speak. I have therefore been shocked by the ongoing debate generated by what I am purported to have said. It is therefore critical for me to state that I neither say nor believe that the virus was developed by white people or white powers in order to destroy the African people. Such views are wicked and destructive.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-67" style="text-decoration-line: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[67]</a></td><td style="width: 20px; vertical-align: bottom; border: none; font-weight: bold; line-height: 0.6em; text-align: right; padding: 10px;">”</td></tr></tbody></table><h2 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); line-height: 1.3;">2005–2011: Later life[<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wangari_Maathai&action=edit&section=11" title="Edit section: 2005–2011: Later life" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">edit</a>]</h2><div class="thumb tright" style="clear: right; float: right; margin: 0.5em 0px 1.3em 1.4em; width: auto; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="thumbinner" style="min-width: 100px; border: 1px solid rgb(200, 204, 209); padding: 3px; background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); text-align: center; overflow: hidden; width: 222px;">
<div class="thumbcaption" style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; padding: 3px; text-align: left;"><div class="magnify" style="float: right; margin-left: 3px; margin-right: 0px;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:GordonBrownWangariMaathai.JPG" class="internal" title="Enlarge" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" csvg="Csvg" width="width" height="height" viewbox="%220" e="E" cg="Cg" id="%22smallbox%22" fill="%22%23fff%22" stroke="%22%23000%22%3E" cpath="Cpath" d="%22M-1.499" h10.99v7.919h1.509z="h10.99v7.919H1.509z" h5.943v4.904h-5.943z="h5.943v4.904h-5.943z" c="C" g="g" display="display" block="block" text-indent="text-indent" px="px" white-space="white-space" nowrap="nowrap" overflow="overflow" hidden="hidden" user-select="user-select" none="none" xmlns="%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22" xmlns:data="data" /></div><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:GordonBrownWangariMaathai.JPG" class="internal" title="Enlarge" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" csvg="Csvg" width="width" height="height" viewbox="%220" e="E" cg="Cg" id="%22smallbox%22" fill="%22%23fff%22" stroke="%22%23000%22%3E" cpath="Cpath" d="%22M-1.499" h10.99v7.919h1.509z="h10.99v7.919H1.509z" h5.943v4.904h-5.943z="h5.943v4.904h-5.943z" c="C" g="g" display="display" block="block" text-indent="text-indent" px="px" white-space="white-space" nowrap="nowrap" overflow="overflow" hidden="hidden" user-select="user-select" none="none" xmlns="%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22" xmlns:data="data">Maathai in Nairobi with </a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chancellor_of_the_Exchequer" title="Chancellor of the Exchequer" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Chancellor of the Exchequer</a> (and later <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Prime_Minister" class="mw-redirect" title="British Prime Minister" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Prime Minister</a>) <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_Brown" title="Gordon Brown" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Gordon Brown</a> in 2005</div></div></div><div class="thumb tright" style="clear: right; float: right; margin: 0.5em 0px 1.3em 1.4em; width: auto; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="thumbinner" style="min-width: 100px; border: 1px solid rgb(200, 204, 209); padding: 3px; background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); text-align: center; overflow: hidden; width: 222px;">
<div class="thumbcaption" style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; padding: 3px; text-align: left;"><div class="magnify" style="float: right; margin-left: 3px; margin-right: 0px;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Maathai_and_Obama_in_Nairobi.jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" csvg="Csvg" width="width" height="height" viewbox="%220" e="E" cg="Cg" id="%22smallbox%22" fill="%22%23fff%22" stroke="%22%23000%22%3E" cpath="Cpath" d="%22M-1.499" h10.99v7.919h1.509z="h10.99v7.919H1.509z" h5.943v4.904h-5.943z="h5.943v4.904h-5.943z" c="C" g="g" display="display" block="block" text-indent="text-indent" px="px" white-space="white-space" nowrap="nowrap" overflow="overflow" hidden="hidden" user-select="user-select" none="none" xmlns="%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22" xmlns:data="data" /></div><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Maathai_and_Obama_in_Nairobi.jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" csvg="Csvg" width="width" height="height" viewbox="%220" e="E" cg="Cg" id="%22smallbox%22" fill="%22%23fff%22" stroke="%22%23000%22%3E" cpath="Cpath" d="%22M-1.499" h10.99v7.919h1.509z="h10.99v7.919H1.509z" h5.943v4.904h-5.943z="h5.943v4.904h-5.943z" c="C" g="g" display="display" block="block" text-indent="text-indent" px="px" white-space="white-space" nowrap="nowrap" overflow="overflow" hidden="hidden" user-select="user-select" none="none" xmlns="%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22" xmlns:data="data">Maathai and then-U.S. Senator </a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama" title="Barack Obama" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Barack Obama</a> in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nairobi" title="Nairobi" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Nairobi</a> in 2006</div></div></div>On 28 March 2005, Maathai was elected the first president of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_Union" title="African Union" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">African Union</a>'s <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic,Social_and_Cultural_Council" title="Economic, Social and Cultural Council" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Economic, Social and Cultural Council</a> and was appointed a goodwill ambassador for an initiative aimed at protecting the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congo_Basin" title="Congo Basin" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Congo Basin</a> Forest Ecosystem.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-68" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[68]</a> In 2006, she was one of the eight flag-bearers at the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_Winter_Olympics" title="2006 Winter Olympics" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">2006</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_Winter_Olympics_Opening_Ceremony#Words_and_Symbols" class="mw-redirect" title="2006 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony</a>. Also on 21 May 2006, she was awarded an honorary doctorate by and gave the commencement address at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connecticut_College" title="Connecticut College" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Connecticut College</a>. She supported the International Year of Deserts and Desertification program. In November 2006, she spearheaded the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Billion_Tree_Campaign" class="mw-redirect" title="United Nations Billion Tree Campaign" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">United Nations Billion Tree Campaign</a>. Maathai was one of the founders of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobel_Women%27s_Initiative" title="Nobel Women's Initiative" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Nobel Women's Initiative</a> along with sister Nobel Peace laureates <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jody_Williams" title="Jody Williams" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Jody Williams</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirin_Ebadi" title="Shirin Ebadi" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Shirin Ebadi</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rigoberta_Mench%C3%BA_Tum" class="mw-redirect" title="Rigoberta Menchú Tum" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Rigoberta Menchú Tum</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betty_Williams(Nobel_laureate)" title="Betty Williams (Nobel laureate)" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Betty Williams</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mairead_Corrigan_Maguire" class="mw-redirect" title="Mairead Corrigan Maguire" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Mairead Corrigan Maguire</a>. Six women representing North America and South America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa decided to bring together their experiences in a united effort for peace with justice and equality. It is the goal of the Nobel Women's Initiative to help strengthen work being done in support of women's rights around the world.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-69" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[69]</a>In August 2006, then <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senator" class="mw-redirect" title="United States Senator" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">United States Senator</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama" title="Barack Obama" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Barack Obama</a> traveled to Kenya. His father was educated in America through the same program as Maathai. She and the Senator met and planted a tree together in Uhuru Park in Nairobi. Obama called for freedom of the press to be respected, saying, "Press freedom is like tending a garden; it continually has to be nurtured and cultivated. The citizenry has to value it because it's one of those things that can slip away if we're not vigilant." He deplored global ecological losses, singling out President <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_W.Bush" title="George W. Bush" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">George W. Bush</a>'s refusal to join the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Framework_Convention_on_Climate_Change" title="United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change</a> (UNFCCC) and its subsidiary, the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyoto_Protocol" title="Kyoto Protocol" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Kyoto Protocol</a>.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-70" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[70]</a>Maathai was defeated in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Party_of_National_Unity(Kenya)" title="Party of National Unity (Kenya)" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Party of National Unity</a>'s primary elections for its parliamentary candidates in November 2007 and chose to instead run as the candidate of a smaller party.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-71" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[71]</a> She was defeated in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Kenyan_parliamentary_election" class="mw-redirect" title="2007 Kenyan parliamentary election" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">December 2007 parliamentary election</a>. She called for a recount of votes in the presidential election (officially won by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mwai_Kibaki" title="Mwai Kibaki" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Mwai Kibaki</a>, but disputed by the opposition) in her constituency, saying that both sides should feel the outcome was fair and that there were indications of fraud.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-72" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[72]</a>In June 2009, Maathai was named as one of PeaceByPeace.com's first peace heroes.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-73" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[73]</a> Until her death in 2011, Maathai served on the Eminent Advisory Board<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-74" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[74]</a> of the Association of European Parliamentarians with Africa (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AWEPA" class="mw-redirect" title="AWEPA" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">AWEPA</a>).Wangarĩ Maathai died on 25 September 2011 of complications arising from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ovarian_cancer" title="Ovarian cancer" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">ovarian cancer</a> while receiving treatment at a Nairobi hospital.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-Death-75" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[75]</a><h2 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); line-height: 1.3;">Wangarĩ Maathai Forest Champion Award[<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wangari_Maathai&action=edit&section=12" title="Edit section: Wangarĩ Maathai Forest Champion Award" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">edit</a>]</h2>In 2012, the Collaborative Partnership on Forests <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Forum_on_Forests" title="United Nations Forum on Forests" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">CPF</a>, an international consortium of 14 organizations, secretariats and institutions working on international forest issues, launched the inaugural Wangarĩ Maathai Forest Champion Award. The 2012 inaugural winner of the Award was Narayan Kaji Shrestha.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-76" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[76]</a>Other winners include:<ul style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0px 1.6em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" csvg="Csvg" width="%225%22" height="%2213%22%3E" ccircle="Ccircle" cx="%222.5%22" cy="%229%22" r="%222.5%22" fill="%22%23222%22/%3E" c="C" e="E" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb" xmlns="%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22" xmlns:data="data"><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">2012 Narayan Kaji Shrestha with an Honourable Mention to Kurshida Begum<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-77" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[77]</a></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">2014 Martha Isabel Pati Ruiz Corzo with an Honourable Mention to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chut_Wutty" title="Chut Wutty" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Chut Wutty</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-78" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[78]</a></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">2015 Gertrude Kabusimbi Kenyangi<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-79" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[79]</a></li></ul>The 2017 award was presented at the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Landscapes_Forum#Bonn_2017:Scaling_Out" title="Global Landscapes Forum" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">4th Global Landscapes Forum</a> (GLF) in Bonn, Germany, 19–20 December 2017 to Maria Margarida Ribeiro da Silva. Maria Margarida Ribeiro da Silva, a Brazilian forestry activist, was awarded the Wangarĩ Maathai Forest Champion Award for her achievements in promoting community forest management and improving the quality of life for many Amazonian communities. In addition to being awarded the 2017 Wangarĩ Maathai Forest Champion Award, Ribiero da Silva also received a cash prize of $20,000 USD.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-80" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[80]</a><h2 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); line-height: 1.3;">Posthumous recognition[<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wangari_Maathai&action=edit&section=13" title="Edit section: Posthumous recognition" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">edit</a>]</h2><div class="thumb tright" style="clear: right; float: right; margin: 0.5em 0px 1.3em 1.4em; width: auto; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="thumbinner" style="min-width: 100px; border: 1px solid rgb(200, 204, 209); padding: 3px; background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); text-align: center; overflow: hidden; width: 222px;">
<div class="thumbcaption" style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; padding: 3px; text-align: left;"><div class="magnify" style="float: right; margin-left: 3px; margin-right: 0px;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:MaathaiMemorialGardenPitt.jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" csvg="Csvg" width="width" height="height" viewbox="%220" e="E" cg="Cg" id="%22smallbox%22" fill="%22%23fff%22" stroke="%22%23000%22%3E" cpath="Cpath" d="%22M-1.499" h10.99v7.919h1.509z="h10.99v7.919H1.509z" h5.943v4.904h-5.943z="h5.943v4.904h-5.943z" c="C" g="g" display="display" block="block" text-indent="text-indent" px="px" white-space="white-space" nowrap="nowrap" overflow="overflow" hidden="hidden" user-select="user-select" none="none" xmlns="%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22" xmlns:data="data" /></div><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:MaathaiMemorialGardenPitt.jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" csvg="Csvg" width="width" height="height" viewbox="%220" e="E" cg="Cg" id="%22smallbox%22" fill="%22%23fff%22" stroke="%22%23000%22%3E" cpath="Cpath" d="%22M-1.499" h10.99v7.919h1.509z="h10.99v7.919H1.509z" h5.943v4.904h-5.943z="h5.943v4.904h-5.943z" c="C" g="g" display="display" block="block" text-indent="text-indent" px="px" white-space="white-space" nowrap="nowrap" overflow="overflow" hidden="hidden" user-select="user-select" none="none" xmlns="%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22" xmlns:data="data">Wangarĩ Maathai memorial trees and garden at the </a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Pittsburgh" title="University of Pittsburgh" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">University of Pittsburgh</a></div></div></div>In 2012, Wangarĩ Gardens opened in Washington, DC.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-81" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[81]</a> Wangarĩ Gardens is 2.7 acre community garden project for local residents which consists of over 55 garden allotments. This community garden honours the legacy of Wangarĩ Maathai and her mission for community engagement and environmental protection. The Wangarĩ Gardens consist of a community garden, youth garden, outdoor classroom, pollinator hive and public fruit tree orchard, vegetable garden, herb garden, berry garden and strawberry patch. Within the garden complex there are personal garden plots and public gardens. The personal plots are available to residents living within 1.5 miles of the community garden. Personal plot holders are required to contribute 1 hour monthly to the maintenance of the public gardens. The public gardens and orchard are maintained by plot holders and volunteers, and are open to everyone to enjoy and harvest. The Wangarĩ Gardens has no direct affiliation with the Green Belt Movement or the Wangarĩ Maathai Foundation but was inspired by Wangarĩ Maathai and her work and passion for the environment.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-82" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[82]</a>On 25 September 2013, the Wangarĩ Maathai Trees and Garden was dedicated on the lawn of the University of Pittsburgh's <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathedral_of_Learning" title="Cathedral of Learning" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Cathedral of Learning</a>.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-83" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[83]</a> The memorial includes two <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_maple" class="mw-redirect" title="Red maple" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">red maples</a> symbolizing Maathai's "commitment to the environment, her founding of the Green Belt Movement, and her roots in Kenya and in Pittsburgh" and a flower garden planted in a circular shape that representing her "global vision and dedication to the women and children of the world" with an ornamental maple tree in the middle signifying "how one small seed can change the world".<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-84" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[84]</a>In 2014, at what would have been her 50-year reunion, her Mount St. Scholastica classmates and Benedictine College unveiled a statue of the Nobel laureate at her alma mater's Atchison, Kansas campus.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-85" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[85]</a>In October 2016, Forest Road in Nairobi was renamed to Wangarĩ Maathai Road for her efforts to oppose several attempts to degrade forests and public parks through the Green Belt Movement.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#cite_note-86" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[86]</a><h2 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); line-height: 1.3;">Selected publications</h2><ul style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0px 1.6em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" csvg="Csvg" width="%225%22" height="%2213%22%3E" ccircle="Ccircle" cx="%222.5%22" cy="%229%22" r="%222.5%22" fill="%22%23222%22/%3E" c="C" e="E" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb" xmlns="%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22" xmlns:data="data"><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><cite class="citation book" style="overflow-wrap: break-word;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=4bDghrBcXzUC" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" csvg="Csvg" width="%2212%22" height="%2212%22%3E" cpath="Cpath" fill="%22%23fff%22" stroke="%22%2336c%22" d="%22M9.995" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" e="E" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" c="C" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22" xmlns:data="data">The Green Belt Movement: Sharing the Approach and the Experience</a>. Lantern Books. 2004. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Number" title="International Standard Book Number" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">ISBN</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-59056-040-2" title="Special:BookSources/978-1-59056-040-2" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><bdi>978-1-59056-040-2</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+Green+Belt+Movement%3A+Sharing+the+Approach+and+the+Experience&rft.pub=Lantern+Books&rft.date=2004&rft.isbn=978-1-59056-040-2&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3D4bDghrBcXzUC&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AWangari+Maathai" class="Z3988" style="">; (1985)</li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">The bottom is heavy too: even with the Green Belt Movement : the Fifth Edinburgh Medal Address (1994)</li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">Bottle-necks of development in Africa (1995)</li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">The Canopy of Hope: My Life Campaigning for Africa, Women, and the Environment (2002)</li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unbowed:A_Memoir" title="Unbowed: A Memoir" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Unbowed: A Memoir</a> (2006) <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Number" title="International Standard Book Number" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">ISBN</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780307492333" title="Special:BookSources/9780307492333" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">9780307492333</a></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">Reclaiming rights and resources women, poverty and environment (2007)</li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">Rainwater Harvesting (2008)</li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">State of the world's minorities 2008: events of 2007 (2008)</li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><cite class="citation book" style="overflow-wrap: break-word;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=491pIPi13vEC" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" csvg="Csvg" width="%2212%22" height="%2212%22%3E" cpath="Cpath" fill="%22%23fff%22" stroke="%22%2336c%22" d="%22M9.995" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" e="E" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" c="C" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22" xmlns:data="data">The Challenge for Africa</a>. Anchor Books. 2010. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Number" title="International Standard Book Number" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">ISBN</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-307-39028-8" title="Special:BookSources/978-0-307-39028-8" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><bdi>978-0-307-39028-8</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+Challenge+for+Africa&rft.pub=Anchor+Books&rft.date=2010&rft.isbn=978-0-307-39028-8&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3D491pIPi13vEC&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AWangari+Maathai" class="Z3988">; (2009)</li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">Moral Ground: Ethical Action for a Planet in Peril. (2010) chapter <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_P.Nelson" title="Michael P. Nelson" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Nelson, Michael P.</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathleen_Dean_Moore" title="Kathleen Dean Moore" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Kathleen Dean Moore</a> (eds.). Trinity University Press, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Number" title="International Standard Book Number" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">ISBN</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9781595340665" title="Special:BookSources/9781595340665" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">9781595340665</a></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">Replenishing the Earth (2010) <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Number" title="International Standard Book Number" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">ISBN</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-307-59114-2" title="Special:BookSources/978-0-307-59114-2" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">978-0-307-59114-2</a></li></ul><h2 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); line-height: 1.3;">Honour</h2><div>
</div><div>=</div><div>wiki GBM</div><div><h3 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; line-height: 1.6;">2008[<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Green_Belt_Movement&action=edit&section=24" title="Edit section: 2008" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">edit</a>]</h3><ul style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0px 1.6em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 width=%225%22 height=%2213%22%3E %3Ccircle cx=%222.5%22 cy=%229%22 r=%222.5%22 fill=%22%23222%22/%3E %3C/svg%3E"); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">Women for Change program (apart/ founded by the GBM) continued to encourage and support women to enter into leadership roles within the GBM. The GBM also continued through this program to support women with legal services, domestic violence help, and education on natural resources/food security.</li></ul><h3 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; line-height: 1.6;">2009[<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Green_Belt_Movement&action=edit&section=25" title="Edit section: 2009" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">edit</a>]</h3><ul style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0px 1.6em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 width=%225%22 height=%2213%22%3E %3Ccircle cx=%222.5%22 cy=%229%22 r=%222.5%22 fill=%22%23222%22/%3E %3C/svg%3E"); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">GBM has opened up a GIS (Geographic Information Systems) lab which has been essential to the development of the GBM. It has also been essential to their project activities, initiatives, and planning, monitoring, and implementing projects.  The GIS laboratory in 2009, received upgrades to their GIS software from the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI).  GBM developed a comprehensive spatial database to use for projects, environmental practices and various other initiatives they are concerned with or monitoring.</li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">GBM expanded its Advocacy and Networking program to provide more resources and education to any person who may need help.  They also focus on issues such as land grabbing and environmental and planning regulations.  The GBM during 2009 facilitated a protest to stop land grabbing and construction on forestland. The program also provided legal air and pushed for protection over wetlands.</li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">GBM sent a delegation to the 15th United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties (COP15).  The convention took place in Copenhagen, Denmark and consisted of talks that were led by Wangari Maathai. Maathai spoke at the convention several times and she discussed topics on the challenges with climate change, how to build resilient climate change communities and ecosystems, and how women deserve to be a part of the political conversations/problems occurring within their communities.</li></ul><h3 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; line-height: 1.6;">2010[<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Green_Belt_Movement&action=edit&section=26" title="Edit section: 2010" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">edit</a>]</h3><ul style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0px 1.6em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 width=%225%22 height=%2213%22%3E %3Ccircle cx=%222.5%22 cy=%229%22 r=%222.5%22 fill=%22%23222%22/%3E %3C/svg%3E"); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">GBM with the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) and Woods Hole Research Centre (WHRC) held a Training of Trainers Workshop in August 2010 on Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD).</li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">The GBM participated in advocating and educating the public on the new constitution passed into law on August 5, 2010.  The advocating educating the GBM did was for the purpose for pursuing and pushing for environmental rights being included into law.</li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">December 2010, the GBM participated in the 16th United Nationals Framework Convention on climate change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties (COP 16) in Cancun, Mexico. GBM attended the COP 16 to advocate for “for full and effective participation of women, indigenous peoples and local communities in climate change decision making”(13).</li></ul><h3 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; line-height: 1.6;">2011[<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Green_Belt_Movement&action=edit&section=27" title="Edit section: 2011" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">edit</a>]</h3><ul style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0px 1.6em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 width=%225%22 height=%2213%22%3E %3Ccircle cx=%222.5%22 cy=%229%22 r=%222.5%22 fill=%22%23222%22/%3E %3C/svg%3E"); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">GBM partnered with 15 different organizations for “One Million Signatures” campaign. This campaign focused on the people of Kenya getting justice for the survivors of the 2007-2008 post-election violence. The violence that occurred happened after Kenya’s Parliament withdrew the country of Kenya from the International Criminal Court.  A total of 1.2 million signatures were collected eventually leading to the arrest of the four Kenya leaders in Jan. of 2012.</li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">The “Community Forest Climate Initiative” document was published by the GBM, and it outlined in detail the experiences either GBM members had while participating in the United Nations annual international climate change conference (COP17).</li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">“GBM staff and volunteer leaders advocated against a landmark land grabbing case at Nairobi’s City Market. Without precedence, the Kenyan government revoked the title deed of the owner of City Market, Market Plaza Limited, and left the property vulnerable to private developers. Hundreds of workers own and operate stalls inside City Market, and their livelihoods were threatened by this illegal act. GBM, City Market stall owners, and the public gathered in downtown Nairobi to say ‘enough is enough'(12).</li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">GBM’s Gender Program continued to promote and enhance various gender relations (focused around women).  This initiative continued to increase awareness of gender issues within the Constitution in Kenya.  The GBM also hosted several educational seminars pertaining to government issues, political questions/problems, and voter education (1200 women participated).</li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">GBM’s Gender Program also facilitated and hosted several workshops for a total of six secondary schools. The workshops focused on educating children about tree nurseries and kitchen gardens.</li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">26 Green Volunteers that are GBM’s field based volunteers reached out to more than 800 households across four project areas, distributing the message that a healthy environment supports healthy communities</li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">GBM facilitated workshops on climate change and its impacts, and how it is caused. It reached over 4000 community members.</li></ul><h3 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; line-height: 1.6;">2012[<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Green_Belt_Movement&action=edit&section=28" title="Edit section: 2012" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">edit</a>]</h3><ul style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0px 1.6em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 width=%225%22 height=%2213%22%3E %3Ccircle cx=%222.5%22 cy=%229%22 r=%222.5%22 fill=%22%23222%22/%3E %3C/svg%3E"); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">GBM partnered with the Green Cross International Sweden and they both participated with peace and reconciliation initiatives within the District of Nakuru County. This initiated organized the 1st Children’s Oeace Festival 2012, that mobilized 1189 Children, Teachers, Education Ofﬁcers and Security stakeholders to gather at the Wangari Maathai Peace Park in Molo town.</li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">The Peace Tent League was organized in Molo and the League brought together ten teams from Molo comprising two women's football clubs and eight men's football clubs. The teams allowed for the community and young children to bond, participated in educational activities (besides sports) and build relationships amongst communities.</li></ul><h3 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; line-height: 1.6;">2013[<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Green_Belt_Movement&action=edit&section=29" title="Edit section: 2013" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">edit</a>]</h3><ul style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0px 1.6em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 width=%225%22 height=%2213%22%3E %3Ccircle cx=%222.5%22 cy=%229%22 r=%222.5%22 fill=%22%23222%22/%3E %3C/svg%3E"); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">April 2013: The Bamboo Biomass and Entrepreneurship project was launched by the Green Belt Movement in partnership with Waterstone, Norway. The project consisted of encouraging propagating, planting and nurturing indigenous bamboo. GBM also hosted and conducted a two-day training workshop at Kitil farm. The event included training 24 women from Maragua on how to effectively and successfully grow bamboo.  The event also taught women how and what they can do with bamboo after they have grown it.</li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">December 2013:  The GBM partnered with Green Cross Sweden and hosted the first Sports, Peace, Environment, and Cohesion Marathon.  This event took place in two different countries, Nakuru and Baringo and consisted of over 300 people participating in the marathon. “The goal of the marathon was to reflect, celebrate and re-energize efforts aimed at strengthening sports, peace, environmental conservation and the deepening of peaceful co-existence of communities living in the Rift Valley Region through community driven and inclusive peace building events”(11).</li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">GBM partnered with Serian FM to help broadcast information that is afflicting communities' safety but to also enhance communities' awareness and education of natural resource management and sustainable development.</li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">The Peace and Reconciliation Project provided radio shows, promoted peace, providing training seminars on peace, and educating communities on governments and politics occurring throughout the world (not just in Kenya).</li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">GBM held a series of training workshops for a variety of environmental leaders. From the workshops the environmental leaders were able to learn about environmental stewardship and conservation practices within communities.</li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">GBM launched initiative to help women learn about renewable clean energy, clean cooking stoves/methods, alternatives to typical cooking materials, and the building of tree nursery groups amongst communities.</li></ul><h3 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; line-height: 1.6;">2014[<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Green_Belt_Movement&action=edit&section=30" title="Edit section: 2014" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">edit</a>]</h3><ul style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0px 1.6em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 width=%225%22 height=%2213%22%3E %3Ccircle cx=%222.5%22 cy=%229%22 r=%222.5%22 fill=%22%23222%22/%3E %3C/svg%3E"); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">The GBM, the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI) worked together to bring groups of farmers from 130 different communities together. The organizations hosted a series of activities to help farmers understand climate change, and understand how to counteract climate changes effects on their farms.  The organizations also taught farms about water harvesting, fodder growing and kitchen gardens.</li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">The GBM, the Green Cross Sweden and the Folke Bernadotte Academy were involved in promoting peace in Nakuru County, Kenya.  The project of promoting peace is based on Wangari Maathai’s Three Legged Stool Concept.  The project included training students on politics, peace and sustainable development. Moreover the project hosted several seminars which focused on community empowerment.</li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">September 25, 2014: The third memorial anniversary of Wangari Maathai took place at Wangari Maathai Corner in Karura forest, Nairobi. This invent involved Hon. Lady Justice Njoki Ndung’u joining the Green Belt Movement (GBM) Board members, staff, members of GBM’s tree nursery groups, and the public to celebrate Professor Wangari Maathai’s life and her outstanding achievements including environmental conservation, sustainable development, democracy and peace.</li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">December 1, 2014, to December 12, 2014: The Conference of Parties to the UNFCCC took place in Lima, Peru.  The GBM was a part of the COP 20 Sustainable Innovation Forum that brought together world leaders, senior executives, investors and industry experts to share ideas and accelerate innovative solutions to address climate change, accelerate green growth and sustainable development.</li></ul><h3 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; line-height: 1.6;">2015</h3><ul style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0px 1.6em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 width=%225%22 height=%2213%22%3E %3Ccircle cx=%222.5%22 cy=%229%22 r=%222.5%22 fill=%22%23222%22/%3E %3C/svg%3E"); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">215 Community Trainers of Trainees were trained which allowed for more community members to receive training on water harvesting techniques and food security initiatives.</li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">GBM partnered with Green Cross Sweden in 2015, to promote youth and children peace building activities through hosting a large festival.  The festival attracted students from schools and local communities and allowed them to learn about peace and to establish clubs that promoted peace within schools.</li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">Women from the United Nations and the Green Belt Movement celebrated in 2015, the World Environment Day and the Beijing Platform for Action. This day took place with hundreds of women and 500 trees were planted at the Professor Wangari Maathai corner in the Karura Forest in Nairobi, Kenya.  This ceremony overall brought a variety of attention to Professor Maathai’s work and actions while also spreading knowledge to hundreds of women on the environment.</li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">A celebration on September 25, 2015 for Professor Maathai took place and marked her fourth memorial anniversary.  The celebration included a public walk from Jeevanjee Garden to the Freedom Corner in Uhuru Park, Nairobi. The GBM hosted the event and hundreds of community members participated in the walk.</li></ul><h2 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); line-height: 1.3;">Future prospects</h2>In the early 21st century, the Green Belt Movement is now vibrant and has succeeded in achieving many of the goals it set out to meet. It’s also achieved at providing a wide range of protection to natural resources and ecosystems around the world. The protection of the environmental and natural resources was achieved through the GBM practices of tree planting, soil conservation measures, sustainable management of the local environment and economy and the protection/boosting of local livelihoods (women and children). In addition to helping the environment and local-communities, the movement also has succeeded at helping local women generate their own sources of income. The GBM has facilitated women to generate their own income through the production of seed sales.   Moreover, the Movement has also succeeded in educating thousands of low-income women about forestry and has created about 3,000 part-time jobs. The movement has even succeeded at reaching and spreading its roots throughout a wide range of countries in the world. They continue to spread their message and help to communities and women throughout the world.<h2 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); line-height: 1.3;">See also[<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Green_Belt_Movement&action=edit&section=33" title="Edit section: See also" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">edit</a>]</h2><ul style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0px 1.6em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22 width=%225%22 height=%2213%22%3E %3Ccircle cx=%222.5%22 cy=%229%22 r=%222.5%22 fill=%22%23222%22/%3E %3C/svg%3E");"><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lantern_Books" title="Lantern Books" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Lantern Books</a></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em;">SeedTree</li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">EcoTipping Points</li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em;">Black Feminism</li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em;">Seedlings</li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em;">Watershed approach</li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em;">Bio-carbon</li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em;">Conservation measures</li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em;">“One Million Signatures”</li></ul></div><div></div><div><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" csvg="Csvg" width="%2212%22" height="%2212%22%3E" cpath="Cpath" fill="%22%23fff%22" stroke="%22%2336c%22" d="%22M9.995" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" e="E" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" c="C" rgb="rgb" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22" xmlns:data="data">Wangari Mathai</a> First environmentalist to win the Nobel Peace Prize. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.kqed.org/epArchive/R611231000" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" csvg="Csvg" width="%2212%22" height="%2212%22%3E" cpath="Cpath" fill="%22%23fff%22" stroke="%22%2336c%22" d="%22M9.995" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" e="E" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" c="C" rgb="rgb" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22" xmlns:data="data">11/06 Interview (audio)</a>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.htm?programID=07-P13-00008&segmentID=4" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" csvg="Csvg" width="%2212%22" height="%2212%22%3E" cpath="Cpath" fill="%22%23fff%22" stroke="%22%2336c%22" d="%22M9.995" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" e="E" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" c="C" rgb="rgb" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22" xmlns:data="data">2007 audio interview</a>. A new documentary shown on PBS <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/takingroot/film.html" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" csvg="Csvg" width="%2212%22" height="%2212%22%3E" cpath="Cpath" fill="%22%23fff%22" stroke="%22%2336c%22" d="%22M9.995" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" e="E" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" c="C" rgb="rgb" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22" xmlns:data="data">Taking Root, trailer</a> )(UCSC owns it: McHenry Media Center DVD6865 and DVD7441) Living on Earth <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.loe.org/shows/shows.htm?programID=05-P13-00026" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" csvg="Csvg" width="%2212%22" height="%2212%22%3E" cpath="Cpath" fill="%22%23fff%22" stroke="%22%2336c%22" d="%22M9.995" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" e="E" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" c="C" rgb="rgb" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22" xmlns:data="data">series</a> including her history. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://fora.tv/2009/04/21/Wangari_Maathai_The_Challenge_for_Africa" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" csvg="Csvg" width="%2212%22" height="%2212%22%3E" cpath="Cpath" fill="%22%23fff%22" stroke="%22%2336c%22" d="%22M9.995" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" e="E" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" c="C" rgb="rgb" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22" xmlns:data="data">Video of 2009 talk</a> "Challenge for Africa." Sadly, she recently passed away at age 71.</div><div>=</div><div><div class="g" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 26px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div data-hveid="CAIQAA" data-ved="2ahUKEwjbp6S5pqjjAhUNQ80KHQeeAHIQFSgAMBR6BAgCEAA"><div class="rc" style="position: relative;"><div class="r" style="margin: 0px; line-height: 1.54;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai&ved=2ahUKEwjbp6S5pqjjAhUNQ80KHQeeAHIQFjAUegQIAhAB" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" /><h3 class="LC20lb" style="font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: inline-block; line-height: 1.33;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai&ved=2ahUKEwjbp6S5pqjjAhUNQ80KHQeeAHIQFjAUegQIAhAB" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;"></a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai&ved=2ahUKEwjbp6S5pqjjAhUNQ80KHQeeAHIQFjAUegQIAhAB" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;">Wangari Maathai - Wikipedia</a></h3>
<div class="TbwUpd" style="display: inline-block; line-height: 1.54; padding-bottom: 1px; padding-top: 1px;"><cite class="iUh30" style="font-style: normal; padding-top: 1px; line-height: 1.43;">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai</cite></div><div class="action-menu ab_ctl" style="display: inline; position: relative; margin: 1px 3px 0px; user-select: none; vertical-align: middle;"><a class="GHDvEf ab_button" href="https://www.google.com/search?q=wangari+matthai+nobel&oq=wangari+matthai+nobel&aqs=chrome..69i57.11343j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#" id="am-b20" aria-label="Result Options" aria-expanded="false" aria-haspopup="true" role="button" jsaction="m.tdd;keydown:m.hbke;keypress:m.mskpe" data-ved="2ahUKEwjbp6S5pqjjAhUNQ80KHQeeAHIQ7B0wFHoECAIQAg" style="border-radius: 0px; cursor: default; font-weight: bold; height: 12px; line-height: 27px; margin: 1px 0px 2px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; transition: none 0s ease 0s; user-select: none; background-image: none; 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padding: 0px; border: 0px;"><li class="action-menu-item ab_dropdownitem" role="menuitem" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; list-style: none; user-select: none; cursor: pointer;"><a class="fl" href="https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:Ea3cn1kRI-sJ:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai+&cd=21&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search%3Fq%3Dcache:Ea3cn1kRI-sJ:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai%2B%26cd%3D21%26hl%3Den%26ct%3Dclnk%26gl%3Dus&ved=2ahUKEwjbp6S5pqjjAhUNQ80KHQeeAHIQIDAUegQIAhAE" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;" /></li><li class="action-menu-item ab_dropdownitem" role="menuitem" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; list-style: none; user-select: none; cursor: pointer;"><a class="fl" href="https://www.google.com/search?q=related:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai+wangari+maathai+nobel&tbo=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjbp6S5pqjjAhUNQ80KHQeeAHIQHzAUegQIAhAF" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;" /></li></ol></div></div></div><div class="s" style="max-width: 48em; line-height: 1.54;"><a class="fl" href="https://www.google.com/search?q=related:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai+wangari+maathai+nobel&tbo=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjbp6S5pqjjAhUNQ80KHQeeAHIQHzAUegQIAhAF" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;">Jump to </a><a class="fl" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#2004_Nobel_Peace_Prize" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai%232004_Nobel_Peace_Prize&ved=2ahUKEwjbp6S5pqjjAhUNQ80KHQeeAHIQygQwFHoECAIQBg" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; line-height: 1.54;">Nobel Peace Prize</a> - Wangarĩ Muta Maathai was a renowned Kenyan social, environmental and political activist and the first African woman to win ...<div class="P1usbc" data-ved="2ahUKEwjbp6S5pqjjAhUNQ80KHQeeAHIQrz0wFHoECAIQBw" style="display: table; margin: 5px 0px; line-height: 1.54;"><div class="VNLkW" style="display: table-row; vertical-align: top;"><div class="i4vd5e" data-ved="2ahUKEwjbp6S5pqjjAhUNQ80KHQeeAHIQsz0oADAUegQIAhAI" style="display: table-cell;">Died‎: ‎25 September 2011 (aged 71); ‎<a class="fl" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nairobi" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nairobi&ved=2ahUKEwjbp6S5pqjjAhUNQ80KHQeeAHIQs2YoADAUegQIAhAJ" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer;">Nairobi</a>‎, ...</div><div class="G1Rrjc" data-ved="2ahUKEwjbp6S5pqjjAhUNQ80KHQeeAHIQsz0oATAUegQIAhAK" style="display: table-cell; padding-left: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">Awards‎: ‎<a class="fl" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_Livelihood_Award" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_Livelihood_Award&ved=2ahUKEwjbp6S5pqjjAhUNQ80KHQeeAHIQs2YoADAUegQIAhAL" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer;">Right Livelihood Award</a>‎ (1984); ‎<a class="fl" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobel_Peace_Prize" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobel_Peace_Prize&ved=2ahUKEwjbp6S5pqjjAhUNQ80KHQeeAHIQs2YoATAUegQIAhAM" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer;">Nobel ...</a></div></div><div class="VNLkW" style="display: table-row; vertical-align: top;"><div class="i4vd5e" data-ved="2ahUKEwjbp6S5pqjjAhUNQ80KHQeeAHIQsz0oAjAUegQIAhAN" style="display: table-cell;">Education‎: ‎BSc: biology; M.Sc: biological scien...</div><div class="G1Rrjc" data-ved="2ahUKEwjbp6S5pqjjAhUNQ80KHQeeAHIQsz0oAzAUegQIAhAO" style="display: table-cell; padding-left: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">Known for‎: ‎<a class="fl" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Belt_Movement" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Belt_Movement&ved=2ahUKEwjbp6S5pqjjAhUNQ80KHQeeAHIQs2YoADAUegQIAhAP" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer;">Green Belt Movement</a></div></div></div><div class="osl" style="margin-top: 0px;">‎<a class="fl" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#1972%E2%80%931977:Activism_and_political_life" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai%231972%25E2%2580%25931977:Activism_and_political_life&ved=2ahUKEwjbp6S5pqjjAhUNQ80KHQeeAHIQ0gIoADAUegQIAhAR" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; line-height: 1.54;">1972–1977: Activism and ...</a> · ‎<a class="fl" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#2005%E2%80%932011:Later_life" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai%232005%25E2%2580%25932011:Later_life&ved=2ahUKEwjbp6S5pqjjAhUNQ80KHQeeAHIQ0gIoATAUegQIAhAS" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; line-height: 1.54;">2005–2011: Later life</a> · ‎<a class="fl" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai#Wangar%C4%A9_Maathai_Forest_Champion_Award" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai%23Wangar%25C4%25A9_Maathai_Forest_Champion_Award&ved=2ahUKEwjbp6S5pqjjAhUNQ80KHQeeAHIQ0gIoAjAUegQIAhAT" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; line-height: 1.54;">Wangarĩ Maathai Forest ...</a></div></div><div data-base-uri="/search" id="ed_3" data-ved="2ahUKEwjbp6S5pqjjAhUNQ80KHQeeAHIQ2Z0BMBR6BAgCEBQ"><div class="g" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 26px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div data-hveid="CAcQAA" data-ved="2ahUKEwjbp6S5pqjjAhUNQ80KHQeeAHIQFSgAMBV6BAgHEAA"><div class="rc" style="position: relative;"><div class="r" style="margin: 0px; line-height: 1.54;"><a href="https://nobelwomensinitiative.org/laureate/wangari-maathai/" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://nobelwomensinitiative.org/laureate/wangari-maathai/&ved=2ahUKEwjbp6S5pqjjAhUNQ80KHQeeAHIQFjAVegQIBxAB" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" /><h3 class="LC20lb" style="font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: inline-block; line-height: 1.33;"><a href="https://nobelwomensinitiative.org/laureate/wangari-maathai/" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://nobelwomensinitiative.org/laureate/wangari-maathai/&ved=2ahUKEwjbp6S5pqjjAhUNQ80KHQeeAHIQFjAVegQIBxAB" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;"></a><a href="https://nobelwomensinitiative.org/laureate/wangari-maathai/" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://nobelwomensinitiative.org/laureate/wangari-maathai/&ved=2ahUKEwjbp6S5pqjjAhUNQ80KHQeeAHIQFjAVegQIBxAB" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;">Wangari Maathai - Nobel Women's Initiative</a></h3>
<div class="TbwUpd" style="display: inline-block; line-height: 1.54; padding-bottom: 1px; padding-top: 1px;"><cite class="iUh30" style="font-style: normal; padding-top: 1px; line-height: 1.43;">https://nobelwomensinitiative.org/laureate/wangari-maathai/</cite></div><div class="action-menu ab_ctl" style="display: inline; position: relative; margin: 1px 3px 0px; user-select: none; vertical-align: middle;"><a class="GHDvEf ab_button" href="https://www.google.com/search?q=wangari+matthai+nobel&oq=wangari+matthai+nobel&aqs=chrome..69i57.11343j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#" id="am-b21" aria-label="Result Options" aria-expanded="false" aria-haspopup="true" role="button" jsaction="m.tdd;keydown:m.hbke;keypress:m.mskpe" data-ved="2ahUKEwjbp6S5pqjjAhUNQ80KHQeeAHIQ7B0wFXoECAcQAg" style="border-radius: 0px; cursor: default; font-weight: bold; height: 12px; line-height: 27px; margin: 1px 0px 2px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; transition: none 0s ease 0s; user-select: none; background-image: none; border: 0px; box-shadow: 0px 0px 0px 0px; filter: none; width: 13px; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline-block;"><span class="mn-dwn-arw" style="border-color: rgb(0, 102, 33) transparent; border-style: solid; border-width: 5px 4px 0px; width: 0px; height: 0px; margin-left: 3px; top: 7.5px; margin-top: -4px; position: absolute; left: 0px;" /></a><div class="action-menu-panel ab_dropdown" role="menu" tabindex="-1" jsaction="keydown:m.hdke;mouseover:m.hdhne;mouseout:m.hdhue" data-ved="2ahUKEwjbp6S5pqjjAhUNQ80KHQeeAHIQqR8wFXoECAcQAw" style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; border: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2); padding: 0px; position: absolute; right: auto; top: 12px; white-space: nowrap; z-index: 3; transition: opacity 0.218s ease 0s; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 2px 4px; left: 0px; visibility: hidden;"><ol style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;"><li class="action-menu-item ab_dropdownitem" role="menuitem" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; list-style: none; user-select: none; cursor: pointer;"><a class="fl" href="https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:r9c1ZSkponEJ:https://nobelwomensinitiative.org/laureate/wangari-maathai/+&cd=22&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search%3Fq%3Dcache:r9c1ZSkponEJ:https://nobelwomensinitiative.org/laureate/wangari-maathai/%2B%26cd%3D22%26hl%3Den%26ct%3Dclnk%26gl%3Dus&ved=2ahUKEwjbp6S5pqjjAhUNQ80KHQeeAHIQIDAVegQIBxAE" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;" /></li><li class="action-menu-item ab_dropdownitem" role="menuitem" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; list-style: none; user-select: none; cursor: pointer;"><a class="fl" href="https://www.google.com/search?q=related:https://nobelwomensinitiative.org/laureate/wangari-maathai/+wangari+maathai+nobel&tbo=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjbp6S5pqjjAhUNQ80KHQeeAHIQHzAVegQIBxAF" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;" /></li></ol></div></div></div><div class="s" style="max-width: 48em; line-height: 1.54;"><a class="fl" href="https://www.google.com/search?q=related:https://nobelwomensinitiative.org/laureate/wangari-maathai/+wangari+maathai+nobel&tbo=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjbp6S5pqjjAhUNQ80KHQeeAHIQHzAVegQIBxAF" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;">Dr. Wangari Muta Maathai was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004 for her actions to promote sustainable development, democracy and peace and was the first African woman to receive the NobelPeace Prize.</a></div><div data-base-uri="/search" id="ed_6" data-ved="2ahUKEwjbp6S5pqjjAhUNQ80KHQeeAHIQ2Z0BMBV6BAgHEAY"><a class="fl" href="https://www.google.com/search?q=related:https://nobelwomensinitiative.org/laureate/wangari-maathai/+wangari+maathai+nobel&tbo=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjbp6S5pqjjAhUNQ80KHQeeAHIQHzAVegQIBxAF" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;"></a><div class="g" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 26px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a class="fl" href="https://www.google.com/search?q=related:https://nobelwomensinitiative.org/laureate/wangari-maathai/+wangari+maathai+nobel&tbo=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjbp6S5pqjjAhUNQ80KHQeeAHIQHzAVegQIBxAF" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;" /><div data-hveid="CAQQAA" data-ved="2ahUKEwjbp6S5pqjjAhUNQ80KHQeeAHIQFSgAMBZ6BAgEEAA"><a class="fl" href="https://www.google.com/search?q=related:https://nobelwomensinitiative.org/laureate/wangari-maathai/+wangari+maathai+nobel&tbo=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjbp6S5pqjjAhUNQ80KHQeeAHIQHzAVegQIBxAF" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;" /><a class="fl" href="https://www.google.com/search?q=related:https://nobelwomensinitiative.org/laureate/wangari-maathai/+wangari+maathai+nobel&tbo=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjbp6S5pqjjAhUNQ80KHQeeAHIQHzAVegQIBxAF" style="text-decoration-line: none; 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padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;" /><a class="fl" href="https://www.google.com/search?q=related:https://nobelwomensinitiative.org/laureate/wangari-maathai/+wangari+maathai+nobel&tbo=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjbp6S5pqjjAhUNQ80KHQeeAHIQHzAVegQIBxAF" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;" /><a class="fl" href="https://www.google.com/search?q=related:https://nobelwomensinitiative.org/laureate/wangari-maathai/+wangari+maathai+nobel&tbo=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjbp6S5pqjjAhUNQ80KHQeeAHIQHzAVegQIBxAF" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;" /><a class="fl" href="https://www.google.com/search?q=related:https://nobelwomensinitiative.org/laureate/wangari-maathai/+wangari+maathai+nobel&tbo=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjbp6S5pqjjAhUNQ80KHQeeAHIQHzAVegQIBxAF" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;" /><div class="r" style="margin: 0px; line-height: 1.54;"><a class="fl" href="https://www.google.com/search?q=related:https://nobelwomensinitiative.org/laureate/wangari-maathai/+wangari+maathai+nobel&tbo=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjbp6S5pqjjAhUNQ80KHQeeAHIQHzAVegQIBxAF" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;" /><a class="fl" href="https://www.google.com/search?q=related:https://nobelwomensinitiative.org/laureate/wangari-maathai/+wangari+maathai+nobel&tbo=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjbp6S5pqjjAhUNQ80KHQeeAHIQHzAVegQIBxAF" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;" /><a class="fl" href="https://www.google.com/search?q=related:https://nobelwomensinitiative.org/laureate/wangari-maathai/+wangari+maathai+nobel&tbo=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjbp6S5pqjjAhUNQ80KHQeeAHIQHzAVegQIBxAF" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;" /><a class="fl" href="https://www.google.com/search?q=related:https://nobelwomensinitiative.org/laureate/wangari-maathai/+wangari+maathai+nobel&tbo=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjbp6S5pqjjAhUNQ80KHQeeAHIQHzAVegQIBxAF" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;"></a><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Wangari-Maathai" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Wangari-Maathai&ved=2ahUKEwjbp6S5pqjjAhUNQ80KHQeeAHIQFjAWegQIBBAB" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" /><h3 class="LC20lb" style="font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: inline-block; line-height: 1.33;"><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Wangari-Maathai" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Wangari-Maathai&ved=2ahUKEwjbp6S5pqjjAhUNQ80KHQeeAHIQFjAWegQIBBAB" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;"></a><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Wangari-Maathai" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Wangari-Maathai&ved=2ahUKEwjbp6S5pqjjAhUNQ80KHQeeAHIQFjAWegQIBBAB" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;">Wangari Maathai | Biography, Nobel Peace Prize, & Facts | Britannica ...</a></h3>
<div class="TbwUpd" style="display: inline-block; line-height: 1.54; padding-bottom: 1px; padding-top: 1px;"><cite class="iUh30" style="font-style: normal; padding-top: 1px; line-height: 1.43;">https://www.britannica.com/biography/Wangari-Maathai</cite></div><div class="action-menu ab_ctl" style="display: inline; position: relative; margin: 1px 3px 0px; user-select: none; vertical-align: middle;"><a class="GHDvEf ab_button" href="https://www.google.com/search?q=wangari+matthai+nobel&oq=wangari+matthai+nobel&aqs=chrome..69i57.11343j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#" id="am-b22" aria-label="Result Options" aria-expanded="false" aria-haspopup="true" role="button" jsaction="m.tdd;keydown:m.hbke;keypress:m.mskpe" data-ved="2ahUKEwjbp6S5pqjjAhUNQ80KHQeeAHIQ7B0wFnoECAQQAg" style="border-radius: 0px; cursor: default; font-weight: bold; height: 12px; line-height: 27px; margin: 1px 0px 2px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; transition: none 0s ease 0s; user-select: none; background-image: none; border: 0px; box-shadow: 0px 0px 0px 0px; filter: none; width: 13px; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline-block;"><span class="mn-dwn-arw" style="border-color: rgb(0, 102, 33) transparent; border-style: solid; border-width: 5px 4px 0px; width: 0px; height: 0px; margin-left: 3px; top: 7.5px; margin-top: -4px; position: absolute; left: 0px;" /></a><div class="action-menu-panel ab_dropdown" role="menu" tabindex="-1" jsaction="keydown:m.hdke;mouseover:m.hdhne;mouseout:m.hdhue" data-ved="2ahUKEwjbp6S5pqjjAhUNQ80KHQeeAHIQqR8wFnoECAQQAw" style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; border: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2); padding: 0px; position: absolute; right: auto; top: 12px; white-space: nowrap; z-index: 3; transition: opacity 0.218s ease 0s; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 2px 4px; left: 0px; visibility: hidden;"><ol style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;"><li class="action-menu-item ab_dropdownitem" role="menuitem" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; list-style: none; user-select: none; cursor: pointer;"><a class="fl" href="https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:Mw7ojyA4QKgJ:https://www.britannica.com/biography/Wangari-Maathai+&cd=23&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search%3Fq%3Dcache:Mw7ojyA4QKgJ:https://www.britannica.com/biography/Wangari-Maathai%2B%26cd%3D23%26hl%3Den%26ct%3Dclnk%26gl%3Dus&ved=2ahUKEwjbp6S5pqjjAhUNQ80KHQeeAHIQIDAWegQIBBAE" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;" /></li><li class="action-menu-item ab_dropdownitem" role="menuitem" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; list-style: none; user-select: none; cursor: pointer;"><a class="fl" href="https://www.google.com/search?q=related:https://www.britannica.com/biography/Wangari-Maathai+wangari+maathai+nobel&tbo=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjbp6S5pqjjAhUNQ80KHQeeAHIQHzAWegQIBBAF" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;" /></li></ol></div></div></div><div class="s" style="max-width: 48em; line-height: 1.54;"><a class="fl" href="https://www.google.com/search?q=related:https://www.britannica.com/biography/Wangari-Maathai+wangari+maathai+nobel&tbo=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjbp6S5pqjjAhUNQ80KHQeeAHIQHzAWegQIBBAF" style="text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;">May 23, 2019 - Wangari Maathai, in full Wangari Muta Maathai, (born April 1, 1940, Nyeri, Kenya—died September 25, 2011, Nairobi), Kenyan politician and ...</a></div><div data-base-uri="/search" id="ed_4" data-ved="2ahUKEwjbp6S5pqjjAhUNQ80KHQeeAHIQ2Z0BMBZ6BAgEEAc"><div class="g" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 26px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div data-hveid="CAYQAA" data-ved="2ahUKEwjbp6S5pqjjAhUNQ80KHQeeAHIQFSgAMBd6BAgGEAA"><div class="rc" style="position: relative;"><div class="r" style="margin: 0px; line-height: 1.54;"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/27/world/africa/wangari-maathai-nobel-peace-prize-laureate-dies-at-71.html" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/27/world/africa/wangari-maathai-nobel-peace-prize-laureate-dies-at-71.html&ved=2ahUKEwjbp6S5pqjjAhUNQ80KHQeeAHIQFjAXegQIBhAB" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;"></a><h3 class="LC20lb" style="font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: inline-block; line-height: 1.33;"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/27/world/africa/wangari-maathai-nobel-peace-prize-laureate-dies-at-71.html" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/27/world/africa/wangari-maathai-nobel-peace-prize-laureate-dies-at-71.html&ved=2ahUKEwjbp6S5pqjjAhUNQ80KHQeeAHIQFjAXegQIBhAB" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;">Wangari Maathai, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Dies at 71</a></h3>
<div class="TbwUpd" style="display: inline-block; line-height: 1.54; padding-bottom: 1px; padding-top: 1px;"><cite class="iUh30" style="font-style: normal; padding-top: 1px; line-height: 1.43;">https://www.nytimes.com/.../wangari-maathai-nobel-peace-prize-laureate-dies-at-71.html</cite></div></div><div class="s" style="max-width: 48em; line-height: 1.54;">Sep 26, 2011 - NAIROBI, Kenya — Wangari Maathai, the Kenyan environmentalist who began a movement to reforest her country by paying poor women a ...</div></div></div></div></div><div>==</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>