Describe Wangari Maathai's Green Belt Movement in about 120-150 words.
Answers
Answer:
The Green Belt Movement (GBM) is an indigenous, grassroots, non-governmental organization based in Nairobi, Kenya that takes a holistic approach to a development by focusing on environmental conservation, community development and capacity building. Professor Wangari Maathai established the organization in 1977, under the auspices of the National Council of Women of Kenya.
According to an annual report done in 2003, ‘‘the mission of GBM is to mobilize community consciousness for self-determination, justice, equity, reduction of poverty, and environmental conservation, using trees as the entry point’’ (Green Belt Movement, 2003, p. 6).[1] The Green Belt Movement also aims at organizing women in rural Kenya to plant trees, combat deforestation, restore their main sources of fuel for cooking, generate income, and stop soil erosion. Maathai has incorporated advocacy and empowerment for women, eco-tourism, and overall economic development into the Green Belt Movement.
Since Wangari Maathai started the movement in 1977, over 51 million trees have been planted, and over 30,000 women have been trained in forestry, food processing, bee-keeping, and other trades that help them earn income while preserving their lands and resources. Communities in Kenya (both men and women) have been motivated and organized to both prevent further environmental destruction and restore that which has been damaged. The Green Belt Movement’s mission is to "mobilize community consciousness for self-determination, justice, equity, reduction of poverty, and environmental conservation, using trees as the entry point".
Wangari Maathai, the founder of the Green Belt Movement, was born to peasant farmers on April 1, 1940 in Nyeri, Kenya. She grew up in rural community, called Kikuyu in Kenya, raised by her mother and father. "My parents raised me in an environment that did not give reasons for fear or uncertainty. Instead, there were many reasons to dream, to be creative, and to use my imagination. Maathai’s first memories are of life on the farm helping her mother, working in the fields, planting, tilling, plucking, and harvesting." Eventually in the late 1940s, Maathai was able to begin school as a young adolescent. She later went on to earning a bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences from Mount St. Scholastica College in Atchison, Kansas (1964) and a master's degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Pittsburgh (1966). Then she pursued her doctoral studies in biology at the University of Nairobi, and in Germany, which led her to obtaining her Ph.D. in biology in 1971 from the University of Nairobi. Maathai was the first Eastern African woman to receive a PhD from the University College of Nairobi, and was a leader in the ecofeminist movement.[citation needed]
Maathai went on to serving as an active member in the National Council of Women in Kenya from 1976 to 1987. During her time as a member she served as the chairman for several years and she began introducing her ideas about "community-based" tree planting. From her continued work, she eventually developed her ideas into an organization, known as the Green Belt Movement (GBM). She began the movement as a grass-roots organization and it bloomed from grew from there. She focused the movement on poverty reduction and environmental conservation through encouraging tree planting. While also spreading education about tree planting and how it benefits and contributes to the community.
Later on, Maathai's book, The Green Belt Movement (2003) was published by Lantern Books. Maathai received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004 for her work with the Green Belt Movement, becoming the first African woman to win. Although formal institutions, such as the Nobel Peace Prize Committee, recognized Maathai's work, her work was not intended for legitimization but rather as a form of radical action against systems creating and reinforcing rural poverty.
This non-governmental organization (NGO) uses the direct action of planting trees and facilitating community education to change the current system of oppression that prevents women in rural Kenya from accessing education, resources, and land. This form of activism, as direct community empowerment, has been replicated around the world. The Green Belt Movement functions to support and provide resources to communities for the purpose of demanding democratic space and accountability from national leaders. For example, on the Green Belt Movement Website, a news link will update visitors on current cases of activism. On February 23, 2016, a press statement on the Karura Forest was published to the Green Belt Movement's official website. This article calls for the public's help in addressing the current issue of land grabbing within the Karura Forest that violates the 2016-2020 strategic forest management plan created by the Kenya Forest Service and Friends of Karura Forest.
Answer:
the Green Belt Movement (GBM) was founded by Professor Wangari Maathai in 1977 under the auspices of the National Council of Women of Kenya (NCWK) to respond to the needs of rural Kenyan women who reported that their streams were drying up, their food supply was less secure, and they had to walk further and further to get firewood for fuel and fencing. GBM encouraged the women to work together to grow seedlings and plant trees to bind the soil, store rainwater, provide food and firewood, and receive a small monetary token for their work.