Highlight of the Month
The planting of trees is the planting of ideas. By starting with the simple act of planting a tree, we give hope to ourselves and to future generations.–Wangari Maathai
What is the Green Belt Movement?
The Green Belt Movement is one of the most prominent women’s civil society organizations, based in Kenya, advocating for human rights and supporting goodTh governance and peaceful democratic change through the protection of the environment. Its mission is to empower communities worldwide to protect the environment and to promote good governance and cultures of peace.
How It All Started
The Green Belt Movement (GBM) was started in 1977 by Dr. Wangari Maathai, the first African woman and the first environmentalist to receive the Nobel Peace Prize (in 2004). What began as a grassroots tree planting program to address the challenges of deforestation, soil erosion and lack of water is now a vehicle for empowering women. The act of planting a tree is helping women throughout Africa become stewards of the natural environment.
But that’s just the first step.
By protecting the environment, these women are also becoming powerful champions for sustainable management of scarce resources such as water, equitable economic development, good political governance, and ultimately….. peace.
Our Achievements
Today, more than 40 million trees have been planted across Africa. The result: soil erosion has been reduced in critical watersheds, thousands of acres of biodiversity-rich indigenous forest have been restored and protected, and hundreds of thousands of women and their families are standing up for their rights and those of their communities and so are living healthier, more productive lives.
Yet, so much remains to be done. Forests are still being lost, democracy is fragile, and poverty is still widespread.
Our Vision for the Future
Our goal in the next decade is to plant one billion trees worldwide. A healthy natural world is at the heart of an equitable and peaceful society. And protecting the environment is something every individual can take part in.
The Green Belt Movement is one of the most prominent women’s civil society organizations, based in Kenya, advocating for human rights and supporting goodTh governance and peaceful democratic change through the protection of the environment. Its mission is to empower communities worldwide to protect the environment and to promote good governance and cultures of peace.
How It All Started
The Green Belt Movement (GBM) was started in 1977 by Dr. Wangari Maathai, the first African woman and the first environmentalist to receive the Nobel Peace Prize (in 2004). What began as a grassroots tree planting program to address the challenges of deforestation, soil erosion and lack of water is now a vehicle for empowering women. The act of planting a tree is helping women throughout Africa become stewards of the natural environment.
But that’s just the first step.
By protecting the environment, these women are also becoming powerful champions for sustainable management of scarce resources such as water, equitable economic development, good political governance, and ultimately….. peace.
Our Achievements
Today, more than 40 million trees have been planted across Africa. The result: soil erosion has been reduced in critical watersheds, thousands of acres of biodiversity-rich indigenous forest have been restored and protected, and hundreds of thousands of women and their families are standing up for their rights and those of their communities and so are living healthier, more productive lives.
Yet, so much remains to be done. Forests are still being lost, democracy is fragile, and poverty is still widespread.
Our Vision for the Future
Our goal in the next decade is to plant one billion trees worldwide. A healthy natural world is at the heart of an equitable and peaceful society. And protecting the environment is something every individual can take part in.
GBM Kenya: Highlights of Thirty Years of Achievements
Since its inception, the Green Belt Movement Kenya (GBM Kenya) has championed the cause of environmental protection. Its vision has been to create a society of principled, grassroots people who work consciously for the continued improvement of their livelihoods. The mission of GBM Kenya continues to be to mobilize communities for self-determination, justice, equity, poverty reduction and environmental conservation, using trees as the entry point. GBM Kenya has been committed to and has achieved success in the following areas:
Community Mobilization and Afforestation
GBM today has over 600 community networks across Kenya that care for 6,000 tree nurseries. Over the years these networks, along with individuals, have participated in planting more than 30 million trees on private and public land, protected reserves, sites with cultural significance and in urban centers. This has resulted in the transformation of many landscapes (forests, steep slopes and other degraded areas) and protection and restoration of habitats for local biodiversity (plants and animals). Kenyans’ attitudes toward the environment have also been transformed: awareness of the impacts of ecological decline has increased along with public interest in defending the environment, including forests and public parks and open space. Tree-planting also provides an entry point for GBM Kenya’s other initiatives, including civic and environmental education, capacity building and advocacy.
Individual and Community Empowerment
GBM Kenya’s civic and environmental education program is a ground-breaking initiative launched so that people could identify the sources of their problems (including poor use and management of their environment and poor governance at local and national levels). They then identify solutions. Through citizen education training, discussions and experiential learning, participants deal with topics like governance, advocacy, environmental conservation and responsible citizenship. During the review process for Kenya’s new constitution, GBM Kenya held civic and environmental education seminars and conducted tree-planting activities to support the process and encourage a peaceful transition. Over 250,000 peace trees were planted.
Increased Environmental Awareness and Action
Throughout Kenya, water scarcity is a problem. GBM Kenya works with communities to conserve and harvest water more effectively through the construction of dams made of sand. The water harvested is used for household needs, food crops and tree nurseries. A related program within GBM Kenya improves food security—the capacity for families to feed themselves— by promoting the planting of fruit trees and indigenous foods, including yams, cassava and arrowroot. At the household level, hunger has been reduced and nutrition improved, especially where cash crops (coffee, tea, flowers) consume most of farmers’ lands.
Sharing Lessons and Approaches Internationally
This program has increased awareness of the need to protect and conserve local biodiversity through various efforts. GBM Kenya’s Langata Learning Centre in Nairobi continues to offer environmental education through exchange programs that expose participating groups to community biodiversity issues through discussions with local leaders and excursions to selected areas around the country. Through its Pan-African Green Belt Network, GBM Kenya has trained representatives from 15 African countries. As a result, several tree-planting initiatives have been established in East and Central Africa. GBM Kenya has also shared its experiences with groups from outside Africa, including university students, through ‘Green Belt Safaris’ that encompass cultural exchange, field-based activities and seminars.
Inspiring the General Public
GBM Kenya has been a reliable advocate for environmental and human rights, challenging abusive or ill-conceived actions by the previous Kenyan government, and rallying Kenyans to the cause. Through its advocacy and civic education campaigns, GBM Kenya has been instrumental in bringing environmental issues to Kenyan policy-makers’ attention and has enjoyed significant success—most notably, the protection from wanton destruction of Uhuru Park and Karura Forest, both in Nairobi. Because of GBM Kenya’s work, the public now understands that the environment is the base upon which all other development rests. This awareness is empowering, and brings the environment closer to the people. Kenyans continue to request GBM Kenya’s support, including legal advice, to secure public green spaces and other environmental rights.
Building Capacity—Health and Income Generation
As a part of its capacity building program, GBM Kenya provides reproductive health information and has introduced the use of drama to disseminate information on HIV/AIDS. Community members explore their knowledge and attitudes about HIV/AIDS through drama, followed by “question and answer” sessions to address myths and misconceptions. GBM Kenya is committed to assisting young women and girls to face the challenges of growing up, including making complex decisions about their sexual and reproductive health and protecting themselves from HIV/AIDS; GBM Kenya informs communities about the ‘ABC’ approach (abstinence, be faithful, use condoms). In future, GBM Kenya aims to expand this initiative by seeking funds to expand school-based outreach and empowerment seminars on HIV/AIDS.
Another aspect of GBM Kenya’s capacity building program focuses on supporting income-generating activities, primarily for women, but also for men. GBM workshops build skills in areas like food security, food processing and marketing, bee-keeping and tree-planting. Women’s groups have also produced hundreds of thousands of seedlings, for which they are paid, that are being planted in Kenyan forests where forest cover has declined. The Aberdare Forest in central Kenya is the first program site. Local GBM groups are working in partnership with government authorities, in many cases for the first time ever, to grow and plant indigenous trees. Through school-based seminars, GBM works to train youth in income generation, job skills and entrepreneurship.
Promoting Sustainable Development
GBM Kenya’s constituency and the general public have benefited from an empowered community and the fact that natural resources have been protected due to the tree-planting and civic and environmental education programs. Poverty is a multidimensional problem, manifested in the lack of access to resources, information, opportunities, power and mobility. It is integrally related to economic, social, political and environmental realities. GBM Kenya’s activities invest in Kenya’s future by enabling communities to understand the essential linkages between their basic needs and a healthy environment and to then support equitable and sustainable development.
Community Mobilization and Afforestation
GBM today has over 600 community networks across Kenya that care for 6,000 tree nurseries. Over the years these networks, along with individuals, have participated in planting more than 30 million trees on private and public land, protected reserves, sites with cultural significance and in urban centers. This has resulted in the transformation of many landscapes (forests, steep slopes and other degraded areas) and protection and restoration of habitats for local biodiversity (plants and animals). Kenyans’ attitudes toward the environment have also been transformed: awareness of the impacts of ecological decline has increased along with public interest in defending the environment, including forests and public parks and open space. Tree-planting also provides an entry point for GBM Kenya’s other initiatives, including civic and environmental education, capacity building and advocacy.
Individual and Community Empowerment
GBM Kenya’s civic and environmental education program is a ground-breaking initiative launched so that people could identify the sources of their problems (including poor use and management of their environment and poor governance at local and national levels). They then identify solutions. Through citizen education training, discussions and experiential learning, participants deal with topics like governance, advocacy, environmental conservation and responsible citizenship. During the review process for Kenya’s new constitution, GBM Kenya held civic and environmental education seminars and conducted tree-planting activities to support the process and encourage a peaceful transition. Over 250,000 peace trees were planted.
Increased Environmental Awareness and Action
Throughout Kenya, water scarcity is a problem. GBM Kenya works with communities to conserve and harvest water more effectively through the construction of dams made of sand. The water harvested is used for household needs, food crops and tree nurseries. A related program within GBM Kenya improves food security—the capacity for families to feed themselves— by promoting the planting of fruit trees and indigenous foods, including yams, cassava and arrowroot. At the household level, hunger has been reduced and nutrition improved, especially where cash crops (coffee, tea, flowers) consume most of farmers’ lands.
Sharing Lessons and Approaches Internationally
This program has increased awareness of the need to protect and conserve local biodiversity through various efforts. GBM Kenya’s Langata Learning Centre in Nairobi continues to offer environmental education through exchange programs that expose participating groups to community biodiversity issues through discussions with local leaders and excursions to selected areas around the country. Through its Pan-African Green Belt Network, GBM Kenya has trained representatives from 15 African countries. As a result, several tree-planting initiatives have been established in East and Central Africa. GBM Kenya has also shared its experiences with groups from outside Africa, including university students, through ‘Green Belt Safaris’ that encompass cultural exchange, field-based activities and seminars.
Inspiring the General Public
GBM Kenya has been a reliable advocate for environmental and human rights, challenging abusive or ill-conceived actions by the previous Kenyan government, and rallying Kenyans to the cause. Through its advocacy and civic education campaigns, GBM Kenya has been instrumental in bringing environmental issues to Kenyan policy-makers’ attention and has enjoyed significant success—most notably, the protection from wanton destruction of Uhuru Park and Karura Forest, both in Nairobi. Because of GBM Kenya’s work, the public now understands that the environment is the base upon which all other development rests. This awareness is empowering, and brings the environment closer to the people. Kenyans continue to request GBM Kenya’s support, including legal advice, to secure public green spaces and other environmental rights.
Building Capacity—Health and Income Generation
As a part of its capacity building program, GBM Kenya provides reproductive health information and has introduced the use of drama to disseminate information on HIV/AIDS. Community members explore their knowledge and attitudes about HIV/AIDS through drama, followed by “question and answer” sessions to address myths and misconceptions. GBM Kenya is committed to assisting young women and girls to face the challenges of growing up, including making complex decisions about their sexual and reproductive health and protecting themselves from HIV/AIDS; GBM Kenya informs communities about the ‘ABC’ approach (abstinence, be faithful, use condoms). In future, GBM Kenya aims to expand this initiative by seeking funds to expand school-based outreach and empowerment seminars on HIV/AIDS.
Another aspect of GBM Kenya’s capacity building program focuses on supporting income-generating activities, primarily for women, but also for men. GBM workshops build skills in areas like food security, food processing and marketing, bee-keeping and tree-planting. Women’s groups have also produced hundreds of thousands of seedlings, for which they are paid, that are being planted in Kenyan forests where forest cover has declined. The Aberdare Forest in central Kenya is the first program site. Local GBM groups are working in partnership with government authorities, in many cases for the first time ever, to grow and plant indigenous trees. Through school-based seminars, GBM works to train youth in income generation, job skills and entrepreneurship.
Promoting Sustainable Development
GBM Kenya’s constituency and the general public have benefited from an empowered community and the fact that natural resources have been protected due to the tree-planting and civic and environmental education programs. Poverty is a multidimensional problem, manifested in the lack of access to resources, information, opportunities, power and mobility. It is integrally related to economic, social, political and environmental realities. GBM Kenya’s activities invest in Kenya’s future by enabling communities to understand the essential linkages between their basic needs and a healthy environment and to then support equitable and sustainable development.