What they do
The Green Belt Movement was founded by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Wangari Maathai in Kenya in 1977. The organization has planted over 51 million trees across Kenya through community-based tree planting campaigns. Programs focus on environmental conservation, community empowerment (especially women), and civic education. The movement connects tree planting to land rights, democratic governance, and women's economic independence.
Why they matter
Wangari Maathai understood that trees, democracy, and women's rights are inseparable. The Green Belt Movement's community nurseries are run by women who earn income from seedling production, gain confidence through community organizing, and protect local watersheds through reforestation. 51 million trees represent not just carbon sequestration and watershed protection but the economic independence and political voice of thousands of rural Kenyan women. Maathai's legacy proves that environmental action and social justice are the same movement.
How to support
Donate to the Green Belt Movement to fund community tree planting and women's empowerment programs. Plant trees in your community in honor of Wangari Maathai's legacy. Share her story and writings.
Key project to explore
The community tree nursery program empowers rural Kenyan women to establish and manage tree nurseries, producing seedlings for reforestation while generating income and building community organizing capacity.