Wangari Maathai
Wangari Maathai was born on April 1, 1940 in Kenya, a developing country plagued by a quickly and unsustainably increasing population, large portions of environmental degradation, and poverty (Richard, 2011). If the socioeconomics of Wangari's country were not enough to discourage her from speaking up against the issues affecting it, her status as a woman in a patriarchal society probably should have. The Kenyan constitution (http://www.mustaqbalradio.com/kenya-has-unique-chance-to-move-ahead-with-deforestation-reversal-un-environment-chief/) protects the rights and freedoms of both men and women under Chapter 5, but it does not protect women against sex discrimination. This is made obvious in many of the other chapters of the constitution, including the section on citizenship. Women are given citizenship rights, but they are unequal to those accorded to men. Unlike a man, a woman is unable to give citizenship to her husband and consequently to her children if they are born outside of Kenya, as only men are able to grant citizenship in that manner. Other forms of sex discrimination are outlined in Kenya's constitution as well (Mucai-Kattambo, Kabeberi-Macharia, & Kameri-Mbote, 1995) which work toward the oppression of Kenyan women. According to Richard Black (2011), Kenyan women "regularly come second to men in terms of power, education, nutrition, and much else." Wangari was not discouraged by the lower status given to women and decided to speak out and become educated. Because of this, she was labeled a "crazy woman" and was told that she should "behave like a good African woman should and do as she was told." When filing for divorce, her former husband made the claim that she was "strong-willed and could not be controlled" (Black, 2011). Wangari, much like many other strong, determined women, may have found the claims against her empowering and as proof of the oppression of women in her society, causing her to continue fighting for women's equality.
Wangari Maathai, unlike most women from her region, was able to travel outside of Africa and obtain a college education. She earned a Bachelor's degree in Biology from Mount St. Scholastica College in Kansas in 1964, and then went on to earn a Master's degree in Science from the University of Pittsburgh two years later. Wangari's ability to earn a degree in America was fueled by the second wave feminist movement that sought workplace equality for women and encouraged women to step outside of the home and pursue a career (Bogart, 2011). After obtaining her Master's degree, Wangari began her doctoral studies in Germany. She completed her studies at the University of Nairobi in 1971, where she later taught veterinary anatomy. Not only was Wangari the first woman in East and Central Africa to earn a Ph.D.; she also was the first woman to become the chair of her department and to become an associate professor (“The Green Belt Movement,” 2013).
The ability to study abroad and earn college degrees was one step in making Wangari's visions come true. In 1977, she established the Green Belt Movement with the purpose of promoting the economic and social progress of Kenya while protecting the environment. Five years prior, she had joined the United Nations Environment Programme which gave her (http://cseindiaportal.wordpress.com/2012/10/15/green-belt-movement-gbm/)
global exposure, making it possible for her to spread the Green Belt Movement to other countries to help them also develop in a manner that is environmentally sustainable. Along with environmental stability, another goal of Wangari's movement was to help women achieve equality. The Green Belt movement provided women with jobs that gave them skills in a patriarchal society where they wouldn't otherwise get them which also helped reduce poverty (Black, 2011).
(http://www.planet-action.org/web/85-project-detail.php?projectID=1171)
The Green Belt Movement had a significant impact on the entire world. Since the movement was not confined to Kenya, other developing countries are able to develop in an environmentally sustainable manner by planting trees that help the environment in many ways, including reversing some of the effects of deforestation and providing habitats for many animal species. The movement also fosters a country's development because of the jobs it creates. Wangari's movement influenced the UN Initiative on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degratation (REDD), which has a significant impact on the environments of many countries worldwide. Because of the global impact of the Green Belt Movement, Wangari was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize in 2004. She was the first African woman to receive one.
Wangari Maathai died on September 25, 2011 of cancer, but her initiative still lives on today. The Green Belt Movement has had a significant impact on the environment, the economy, and the social development of the many countries that adopted it, and remnants of the movement are still present in initiatives like REDD and many others that have been derived from Wingari Maathai's Green Belt Movement.
Wangari Maathai, unlike most women from her region, was able to travel outside of Africa and obtain a college education. She earned a Bachelor's degree in Biology from Mount St. Scholastica College in Kansas in 1964, and then went on to earn a Master's degree in Science from the University of Pittsburgh two years later. Wangari's ability to earn a degree in America was fueled by the second wave feminist movement that sought workplace equality for women and encouraged women to step outside of the home and pursue a career (Bogart, 2011). After obtaining her Master's degree, Wangari began her doctoral studies in Germany. She completed her studies at the University of Nairobi in 1971, where she later taught veterinary anatomy. Not only was Wangari the first woman in East and Central Africa to earn a Ph.D.; she also was the first woman to become the chair of her department and to become an associate professor (“The Green Belt Movement,” 2013).
The ability to study abroad and earn college degrees was one step in making Wangari's visions come true. In 1977, she established the Green Belt Movement with the purpose of promoting the economic and social progress of Kenya while protecting the environment. Five years prior, she had joined the United Nations Environment Programme which gave her (http://cseindiaportal.wordpress.com/2012/10/15/green-belt-movement-gbm/)
global exposure, making it possible for her to spread the Green Belt Movement to other countries to help them also develop in a manner that is environmentally sustainable. Along with environmental stability, another goal of Wangari's movement was to help women achieve equality. The Green Belt movement provided women with jobs that gave them skills in a patriarchal society where they wouldn't otherwise get them which also helped reduce poverty (Black, 2011).
(http://www.planet-action.org/web/85-project-detail.php?projectID=1171)
The Green Belt Movement had a significant impact on the entire world. Since the movement was not confined to Kenya, other developing countries are able to develop in an environmentally sustainable manner by planting trees that help the environment in many ways, including reversing some of the effects of deforestation and providing habitats for many animal species. The movement also fosters a country's development because of the jobs it creates. Wangari's movement influenced the UN Initiative on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degratation (REDD), which has a significant impact on the environments of many countries worldwide. Because of the global impact of the Green Belt Movement, Wangari was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize in 2004. She was the first African woman to receive one.
Wangari Maathai died on September 25, 2011 of cancer, but her initiative still lives on today. The Green Belt Movement has had a significant impact on the environment, the economy, and the social development of the many countries that adopted it, and remnants of the movement are still present in initiatives like REDD and many others that have been derived from Wingari Maathai's Green Belt Movement.
References:
(2013) The Green Belt Movement: Biography. Retrieved from http://www.greenbeltmovement.org/wangari-maathai/biography
Black, Richard. (2011, September 26) Wangari Maathai: Death of a visionary. Retrieved from http:// http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15060167
Bogart, Rachel. (2011, October 15) The Role of Education in 1960s Movements for Equality. Retrieved from http://voices.yahoo.com/the-role-education-1960s-movements-equality- 10176905.html Mucai-Kattambo, V.W., Kabeberi-Macharia, J., & Kameri-Mbote, P. (1995) Law and the Status of Women in Kenya. Women, Laws, Customs and Practices in East Africa- Laying the Foundation, 1-17. Retrieved from http://www.ielrc.org/content/a9501.pdf
(2013) The Green Belt Movement: Biography. Retrieved from http://www.greenbeltmovement.org/wangari-maathai/biography
Black, Richard. (2011, September 26) Wangari Maathai: Death of a visionary. Retrieved from http:// http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15060167
Bogart, Rachel. (2011, October 15) The Role of Education in 1960s Movements for Equality. Retrieved from http://voices.yahoo.com/the-role-education-1960s-movements-equality- 10176905.html Mucai-Kattambo, V.W., Kabeberi-Macharia, J., & Kameri-Mbote, P. (1995) Law and the Status of Women in Kenya. Women, Laws, Customs and Practices in East Africa- Laying the Foundation, 1-17. Retrieved from http://www.ielrc.org/content/a9501.pdf