Wangari Maathai

I recently did a paper on Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Wangari Maathai. She is an amazing women that has accomplished many things. She was the first woman from her country to recieve a bachelors degree and she went on to earn a PhD. Mrs. Maathai also taught classes at a college in her country and headed the department that she taught in. She has been on many diffrent boards and held many high positions in diffrent organizations. Wangari Maathai has recieved many diffrent awards for her efforts in democracy and her environmental efforts. She started the Green Belt Movement on her own by planting just seven trees in her country of Kenya. She has developed her movement into a country wide movement, with over 2 million trees planted she and the many people that help her. She has had local and small farmers help her and many school children have also helped her in planting all of the trees. When asked why she started the Green Belt Movement she said “I observed these processes of desertification happening in our backyard. I noticed springs that I knew as a child, drying up, and I saw water levels going down…and I could see there was no longer firewood.” She recieved the Nobel Prize for Peace in 2004 for her works. This is by far the biggest and most distinguised award that she has recieved. Wangari Maathai is an amazing women that countinues to change her country and the world.