Wangari Maathai

Wangari Maathai was born on the 1st of April 1940 in a small village of Ihithe in the central highlands of what was then British Kenya. This place is near  the provincial capital of Nyeri. Wangari Maathai was the third born of six children and the first girl after two sons. Wangari Maathai’s parents were peasant farmers.

Wangari Maathai was later enrolled at a mission school called St. Cecilia Intermediate Primary School. Paying Maathai’s fees became a burden to the family, because her older brother was then at Kagumo High School. Her brother had a small store in his room which he boiled water for other students for a few coins. Her brother was interested in her studies. He would go and check on her at St. Cecilia. In 1956, Wangari finished  her primary education and she was called at Loreto Girls High School in Limuru. In 1959, Wangari graduated from high school. She later received a scholarship to attend Mount St. Scholastica College (now Benedictine College) in Kansas.   

In 1964, Wangari received her Bachelors of Science degree in Biology. Following this, in September 1964, she enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh where she studied for her Masters in Biological Sciences. Upon receiving her second degree, she soon found employment at the University of Nairobi. However, when she reached the University of Nairobi, she found that her position had been taken by someone else.  She later got a job at Chiromo campus, where she worked as a researcher and a teacher. She later went to Germany in 1967. In 1969, she returned to Nairobi  and she rejoined the University of Nairobi as an assistant lecturer.

In the same year, she married a man named Mwangi. When Wangari was in the rural area, she noticed a lot of change that had happened in their village. People were cutting trees with no regard. There was soil erosion and crops didn’t grow very well. Wangari decided to start the Green Belt Movement. Wangari started convincing people to plant trees and it succeeded. Wangari always told the foresters and the women that they did not have to have a diploma in order to plant a tree. Wangari endured many personal struggles. In 1977, Wangari separated from her husband and   later divorced him in a bitter court battle. But with her struggles also came successes. In 2004, Wangari won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Wangari Maathai later died in November 2011. However, she had tried to save the environment and left it green. We are still calling people to plant more trees for a greener environment.

Photo Credit