Dr. Wangari Maathai

Kenyan Social, Environmental, and Political Activist

Wangari Maathai (1940-2011) was an Kenyan social, environmental, and political activist.

FAST FACTS:

• She was an environmental activist who founded the Green Belt Movement. This movement promotes environmentalism and has helped women in Kenya plant over 50 million trees, and it’s still going on today.

• She was the first African woman to win a Nobel prize and was awarded the 2004 Nobel Prize for Peace.

• She authored four books: The Green Belt Movement; Unbowed: A Memoir; The Challenge for Africa; and Replenishing the Earth

• She received her Ph.D. in 1971 at the University of Nairobi and became the first woman in East and Central Africa to earn a doctorate

• She is internationally known for her tenacious fight for democracy, human rights and environmental conservation.

To learn more about Dr. Maathai, check out the links below:

• Biography – Green Belt Movement 
• The Nobel Prize – Wangari Maathai
• Wangari Maathai Biography
• UNESCO