“And it seems like a dream.”

Wangari Muta Maathai, also known as Mama Miti, was an environmental activist who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004 for her efforts in promoting peace and democracy. She was able to plant approximately 2 million trees in Kenya with the help of other women.

He was born on February 1, 1940 in the village of Hiiteh in Kenya. In 1943, his family moved to a town near Nakuru. There, he did not have the opportunity to receive an education. It was in late 1947 that he returned to his hometown with his mother and spent his elementary years there with his brothers. From the age of 11, he continued his education at the Catholic school of St. Cecilia and became proficient in English. In 1956, he graduated with top honors and was accepted into the Loreto Girls High School in Kenya. After graduating from high school in 1959, he decided to attend the University of East Africa in Kampala, Uganda. He was one of the 300 Kenyans selected to study at universities in the United States in September 1960.

Mahtai became a student at Benedictine College (Kansas) with a scholarship and obtained her bachelor’s degree in Biology and German in 1964. She then graduated with a master’s degree in Biology from the University of Pittsburgh in 1966. In 1967, she went to the University of Giessen, Germany to pursue her doctoral studies. Mahtai continued her studies for her PhD at two universities in Germany and Nairobi, and finally obtained her doctorate from the University of Nairobi in 1971, where she taught anatomy in the veterinary school. She served as the head of the Department of Veterinary Anatomy and as a professor at the university in 1976 and 1977, becoming the first woman to hold such positions in the region. Mahtai got married in May 1969 and had her first child after a year.

In the years 87-1976, Maathai was present as an activist in the Kenyan National Council of Women and took over the presidency of this council between 1981 and 1987. In 1976, at the same time as starting her work in the National Council of Women, she introduced the idea of “planting trees in a community-centered manner” and then focused on developing this idea on a larger scale through a grassroots organization with a special emphasis on poverty reduction and environmental protection through tree planting. Through this organization, known as the Green Belt Movement, Maathai helped women plant over 40 million trees in farms, schools, and churches.

In September 1998, Mahtai was among the 2000 leaders of the International Human Rights Campaign in Africa, which aimed to cancel the debts of African countries. His campaign against the brutal land and forest seizures gained international attention.

Maathai is internationally recognized for her continuous struggles for democracy, human rights, and environmental conservation. She has addressed the United Nations several times and during the five-year review of the UN Earth Summit, she spoke on behalf of all women at special sessions of the General Assembly. Maathai and the Green Belt Movement have received numerous awards, the most significant being the Nobel Peace Prize on October 4, 2004. In fact, she was the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for her active participation in sustainable development, democracy, and peace.

Among the awards that he has received, the following can be mentioned:

• The selected Woman of the Year award (1983).

• The Prize of Livelihood (1984).

• World’s Top Society Award (1986).

• “World’s Chosen Woman (1989).”

• United Nations Africa Leadership Award (1991).

• Edinburgh Medal (1993).

• The Leadership Award of Jean Adams (1993).

• Golden Arc Award (1994).

• Juliet Hollister Prize (2001).

• Colleagues of Paul Harris (2005).

• The Nelson Mandela Prize for Human Rights and Health (2007).

• Earth’s Nobel Prize – Kyoto – (2010-2009).

And several other national and international awards…

In the list of the top 100 environmental champions, Maathai achieved sixth place by the Environmental Agency (UK). Her name is also recognized among the top 500 influential figures in the United Nations Environmental Program and one of the top 100 global champions. In June 1997, Ms. Maathai was selected as one of the top 100 influential figures in the environment by the Earth magazine. In 2005, she was named one of the top 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine and one of the top 100 most powerful women in the world by Forbes magazine.

Different institutions around the world, including Williams College (1990), Hobart and William Smith Colleges (1994), the University of Norway (1997), Yale University (2004), Wellesley College (2005), the University of California, Irvine (2006), and Moravian College (2006), have awarded him an honorary doctorate in recognition of his continuous activities.

Ms. Maathai has been a member of the board of directors for many active organizations in the fields of environment and human rights. These include the Women’s Environment and Development Organization (WEDO), Global Learning for International Development, the International Red Cross, the International Wheat Diversity Union, the Prince Albert II of Monaco Environmental Foundation, and the National Council of Kenyan Women. In December 2002, Ms. Maathai was elected to the Kenyan Parliament with nearly 98% of the votes. In 2005, she was selected as the Senior Officer of the Economic, Social and Cultural Council of the African Union (ECOSOCC) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The purpose of this council was to provide advice to the African Union on issues related to African civil society. In April 2006, the President of France awarded Ms. Maathai with the highest French honorary title (Legion). In the same year (2006), she established the

Mrs. Mahtai passed away on September 25, 2011 after a year-long battle with ovarian cancer. She was seventy-one years old at the time of her passing in a hospital in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. Her body was laid to rest with special ceremonies in the presence of the President, Prime Minister, and thousands of Kenyan people. The farewell ceremony took place in a park that Mrs. Mahtai had once prevented the government from building on.

Sources.:

Wikipedia Farsi.

Green Belt Movement Website.

Iran Library Website

The website of Bum Sa.

Collection: Ali Fotouti.