Wangari Maathai was awarded the Nobel peace Prize for her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace.
Wangari Muta Maathai (born April 1, 1940) was born in Ihithe village, Tetu division, Nyeri District of Kenya. Maathai is an environmental and political activist. In 2004 she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for "her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace"—the first African woman to receive the award. Hon. Dr. Maathai is also an elected member of Parliament and served as Assistant Minister for Environment and Natural Resources in the government of President Mwai Kibaki between January 2003 and November 2005. She is a member of Kikuyu ethnic group
Maathai went to Ihithe Primary School before moving to Loreto Convent Secondary School in Limuru. After finishing school in Kenya, Maathai studied Biology in the United States and Germany. She received her Bachelor’s degree in biology from Mount St. Scholastica (now Benedictine College) in 1964, and her Master’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh, before returning to Nairobi. There, at the University of Nairobi, she earned the first Ph.D. awarded to an Eastern African woman (in veterinary medicine). In 1971, she became professor for veterinary anatomy at the University of Nairobi, and then later dean of her faculty. In 2002 Maathai accepted a position as Visiting Fellow at Yale University’s Global Institute for Sustainable Forestry.
In 1977, Maathai founded the Green Belt Movement, a grassroots environmental non-governmental organization, which has now planted over 30 million trees across Kenya to prevent soil erosion. She has come to be affectionately called "Tree Woman." Since then, she has been increasingly active on both environmental and women’s issues.
Maathai was also the former chairperson of Maendeleo Ya Wanawake (the National Council of Women of Kenya). In the 1980s her husband divorced her, saying she was too strong-minded for a woman, and that he was unable to control her. The judge in the divorce case agreed with the husband.
During the regime of President Daniel Arap Moi, she was imprisoned several times and violently attacked for demanding multi-party elections and an end to political corruption and tribal politics. In 1989 Maathai almost single-handedly saved Nairobi’s Uhuru Park by stopping the construction by Moi’s business associates of the 60-story Kenya Times Media Trust business complex.
In 1997, in Kenya’s second multi-party elections marred by ethnic violence, she ran for the country’s presidency, but her party withdrew her candidacy. Nevertheless, she was a minor candidate among several contenders.
In 2002 Maathai was elected to parliament when the National Rainbow Coalition, which she represented, defeated the ruling party Kenya African National Union. She has been Assistant Minister in the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Wildlife since 2003. She founded the Mazingira Green Party of Kenya in 2003.
On 28 March 2005, she was elected as the first president of the African Union’s Economic, Social and Cultural Council.
In 2006 she was one of the eight flag bearers at the 2006 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony. Also on May 21, 2006 she was awarded an honorary doctorate by and gave the commencement address at Connecticut College.
In January of 2007 Maathai will host the Global Young Greens conference in Nairobi, where more than 120 young delegates of environmental, civil rights, peace, and social justice youth movements as well as youth organisations of green parties from all over the world are expected to come.
On January 28, 2007, Maathai returned to Benedictine College for the first time in over 15 years and spoke to the students at her alma mater.
In 2008, she will co-host the Global Greens Nairobi conference, which is expected to draw over 1,000 Greens from dozens of Green Parties around the planet. " Maathai is a unique exemple to next generation of african leaders"
