Wangari Maathai: Early Reader Edition

Wangari Maathai in 2001Wikimedia Commons

Wangari Maathai was born in Nyeri, Kenya in 1940. Her family didn’t have much money, but they worked very hard as farmers. When she was eight years old, Wangari started school. Back then, many girls in Kenya didn’t get to go to school and, even if they did, they weren’t often allowed to complete their education. However, Wangari was a brilliant student.

Because she was so clever, Wangari got the chance to go to college in the United States of America. She studied biology and earned two degrees—a bachelor’s degree in Kansas and a master’s in Pittsburgh. But Wangari didn’t stop there. She went back to Kenya and, in 1971, became the first woman in East Africa to earn a doctorate degree (which means she became an expert in her field). In 1976, she became the first female professor.

Guinevere Devlin from Henrietta, NYWangari Maathai

Saving the Environment with the Green Belt Movement

When Wangari moved back to Kenya, she noticed a big problem. People were cutting down far too many trees, leaving the land bare and dry. This made it hard for farmers to grow food, and many families struggled. She also saw that cutting down trees hurt the environment and made climate change even worse. Climate change is when the Earth gets hotter because of harm to the environment.

Wangari decided she was going to try and fix this. In 1976, she came up with an idea: What if people planted more trees to help bring the land back to life? She started a group called the Green Belt Movement. They encouraged communities, especially women and girls, to plant trees. Lots of women at the time didn’t get paid to work, but women who joined the Green Belt Movement were paid for their work. This meant the women could support their families whilst helping to save the environment.

Linda GallagherTribute to a Hero - Wangari Maathai - Kenya

Fighting for What’s Right

Wangari always fought for what was right. When the president of Kenya at that time, Daniel Moi, wanted to destroy a beautiful park, Wangari worked hard to make sure that didn’t happen! She led peaceful protests to stop the park from being destroyed. This made members of the government and the police angry, and they fought Wangari and the protesters. They hurt some of the people protesting and even arrested Wangari! But this didn’t stop her.

Wangari wanted Kenya to be a fairer country. Back then, only one political party was allowed, which meant people didn’t have any choice in who would be their president. Wangari worked hard to bring democracy to Kenya. Democracy means that there are lots of different leaders to choose from and the voting process is fair. After many years of struggle, she finally saw change. Kenya had a fairer election in 2002, and Wangari was voted to be the Assistant Minister for the Environment and a member of Parliament.

The Art Miles Mural ProjectWangari Maathai and the Green Belt Movement

A Hero for the Planet 

In 2004, Wangari Maathai won the Nobel Peace Prize for her work helping the environment and improving the lives of people. The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the biggest awards in the world!

Even though Wangari passed away in 2011, her work still inspires people today. Wangari Maathai was a hero because she cared about others, always stood up for what was right, and worked hard to make our world a better place. Her story teaches us that one person can make a big difference, even with something as simple as planting a tree.

This story was adapted from high school student Guinevere Devlin’s story. Find her story and other MY HERO resources on Wangari Maathai here.