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Wanjira Mathai

Wanjira Mathai (born December 1971) is a Kenyan environmentalist and activist. She is Managing Director for Africa and Global Partnerships at the World Resources Institute, based in Nairobi, Kenya.[1] In this role, she takes on global issues including deforestation and energy access. She was selected as one of the 100 Most Influential Africans by New African magazine in 2018 for her role serving as the senior advisor at the World Resources Institute, as well as for her campaign to plant more than 30 million trees through her work at the Green Belt Movement.[2]

Wanjira Mathai
Mathai speaks at the Global Scholars Symposium in 2013
Born1971
Alma materHobart & William Smith
Emory University
Employer(s)Carter Center
World Resources Institute
Green Belt Movement
Parent

Early life and education edit

Mathai was born and raised in Kenya.[3][4] Her mother, Wangari Maathai, was a social, environmental and political activist and the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, in 2004.[5][6]

Mathai was a student at State House Girls' High School in Nairobi. After completing high school, she moved to Geneva, New York, to attend Hobart and William Smith Colleges, where she majored in biology and graduated in 1994.[7][8][9] She received a master's degree in Public Health and in Business Administration from Emory University.[10][11][7] After graduating, Mathai joined the Carter Center, where she worked on disease control.[12] Here she learned about diseases that impacted African communities, such as dracunculiasis, onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis.[13]

Research and career edit

The Green Belt Movement edit

Mathai serves on the World Future Council and on the board of the Green Belt Movement (GBM),[14] which was founded by Wanjira's mother Wangari in 1977. Originally, Mathai served as Director of International of Affairs of the GBM from 2002, and later was made Executive Director of the organization.[11][15] At this organization, she led fundraising programmes and monitored resource mobilization, as well as facilitated international outreach.[16] She realized that women were more responsive when the GBM called for people to help planting trees.[16] Mathai has said that her work in planting trees, also called agroforestry, was inspired by her mother's environmental work.[17] After her mother won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004, Mathai accompanied her on a world tour.[13] When her mother died in 2011, Mathai helped steer the club through a time of transition.[10]

Other organizations and foundations edit

 
Mathai talking as Director of the Wangari Maathai Institute

Mathai serves as senior advisor of the Partnerships for Women Entrepreneurs in Renewables,[18][19] which promotes women in renewable energy leadership in an effort to bring renewables to almost four million women in East Africa.[20] To Mathai, women's engagement with renewable energy is one of economic empowerment, fulfilling several of the Sustainable Development Goals.[20] Despite the modernization occurring in Kenya, women still spend several hours a day collecting firewood, and half of all deaths in children under five years old occur due to household air pollution.[21] Mathai serves on the advisory board of the Clean Cooking Alliance, and is also a member of the Earth Chapter International Council.[22][23] She also serves on the board of trustees of the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR).[24] She is also one of a few six second EQ practitioners.[10] These practitioners seek to promote emotional intelligence and support others to create a culture of positivity.[25]

Since 2016, Mathai has served as chairperson of the Wangari Maathai Foundation.[7][26][27] The foundation looks to advance the legacy of Wangari Maathai by promoting a culture of purpose with young people serving as leaders. When asked of her work with the foundation, Mathai responded: "I am not living in my mother's shadow, I am basking in her light...".[28] The foundation has three priorities: maintaining Wangari Muta Maathai House, instilling leadership skills in youth to promote creativity and courage at a young age (Wanakesho), and a fellowship for young people.[16] As an illustration of her faith in the importance of educating youth, she was the project director for the Wangari Maathai Institute for Peace and Environmental Studies at the University of Nairobi (WMI). This institute focuses on promoting positive ethics and sustainable development.[23][29] Educating youth has always been one of Maathai's goals, and she states: "Human beings are not born corrupt. At some point these behaviors are fostered by a culture that promotes individual gain over collective progress." She believes that educating youth will allow for peace-building and for a decrease in corruption in Kenya, as youth will grow up to become future leaders.[30] She often speaks to these topics, as she is a motivational speaker on the topics of youth leadership, environment, and climate change.[10]

In addition, Mathai sits on the board of The World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) in Kenya.[14] In 2018 Mathai was selected as one of the 100 Most Influential Africans by New African magazine,[31] as well as the Top Influential African Women by the African Leadership University.[2][32]

As of December 2019, Mathai has served as Vice President and Regional Director for Africa at World Resources Institute.[14][1] In this capacity, Mathai convinced the Kenyan Environment Minister Judi Wakhungu to commit to restoring 12.6 million acres of deforested land in Kenya by 2030, building on her mother's environmental activism legacy.[17] This is part of the African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative (AFR100), which Mathai oversees, an initiative to restore more than 100 million hectares of deforested land in Africa by 2030.[33][34]

Awards edit

In April 2023, TIME magazine named Wanjira as one of the top 100 most influential people of 2023.[35] In November 2023, she was named to the BBC's 100 Women list.[36]

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Wanjira Mathai". World Resources Institute. 26 January 2017. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  2. ^ a b . ALU. 12 March 2019. Archived from the original on 22 June 2021. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  3. ^ "Women's Activism NYC". womensactivism.nyc. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  4. ^ Stanford Event Calendar. . events.stanford.edu. Archived from the original on 26 October 2021. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  5. ^ "The Nobel Peace Prize 2004". NobelPrize.org. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  6. ^ "My mother, the Nobel Peace Prize pioneer". BBC News. 8 December 2016. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  7. ^ a b c Nwololo, Millicent (5 July 2020). "Being the best is not important, doing the best is what matters". Daily Nation. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  8. ^ Chesler, Ellen; McGovern, Terry (19 June 2015). Women and Girls Rising: Progress and resistance around the world. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-48266-6.
  9. ^ . www2.hws.edu. Hobart and William Smith Colleges. 30 January 2017. Archived from the original on 16 April 2022. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  10. ^ a b c d "Wanjira Mathai". Metis Fund. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  11. ^ a b "Wanjira Mathai". Global Landscapes Forum | Paris 2015. 5–6 December 2015. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  12. ^ "Wanjira Mathai| World Forestry Congress". Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  13. ^ a b "We #Zoomin: on WPower's Director Wanjira Mathai". Nairobi Garage. 16 March 2017. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  14. ^ a b c "Wanjira Mathai". World Future Council. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  15. ^ "Seeking synergy: Funding Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation | Synergos". www.synergos.org. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  16. ^ a b c Elkington, Natasha (17 August 2018). "Values-based youth leadership education key to environmental sustainability: Wangari Maathai Foundation chair". Landscape News. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  17. ^ a b McDonnell, Tim (28 October 2016). . National Geographic. Archived from the original on 18 December 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  18. ^ "Wanjira Mathai". World Agroforestry | Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  19. ^ "An Evening with Wanjira Mathai, Director - wPOWER Hub". 19 July 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  20. ^ a b "Skoll | Wanjira Mathai". Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  21. ^ "WANJIRA MATHAI; WOMEN AND ENERGY". Cynthia | UNTAMED. 21 February 2017. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  22. ^ . Clean Cooking Alliance. Archived from the original on 14 May 2021. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  23. ^ a b "The Green Belt Movement". www.greenbeltmovement.org. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  24. ^ "Wanjira Mathai". Center for International Forestry Research. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  25. ^ "A Billion People Practicing Emotional Intelligence: The EQ Network Vision". Six Seconds. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  26. ^ "Video: Wanjira Mathai". Peace Boat. 8 January 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  27. ^ . Archived from the original on 18 February 2020. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  28. ^ Wikina, Ebenezar (27 January 2016). "Beyond COP21: My Stroll With Wanjira Mathai, Director, wPOWER Hub, Wangari Maathai Institute & Chair, the Green Belt Movement". HuffPost. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  29. ^ "Our Vision | Wangari Maathai Institute for Peace and Environmental Studies". wmi.uonbi.ac.ke. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  30. ^ "We the Future 2019: Talks from TED, the Skoll Foundation and the United Nations Foundation". TED Blog. 25 September 2019. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  31. ^ Jere, Regina Jane (28 December 2018). "The 100 Most Influential Africans of 2018". New African. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  32. ^ Lily, Mwangi (2 December 2018). . Kiss FM. Archived from the original on 27 December 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  33. ^ Koigi, Bob (19 December 2019). "World Resources Institute appoints Wanjira Mathai as Regional Director for Africa". Africa Business Communities. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  34. ^ . Rekord East. 24 July 2014. Archived from the original on 27 December 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  35. ^ "TIME 100 most influential people 2023". TIME. April 2023.
  36. ^ "BBC 100 Women 2023: Who is on the list this year?". BBC News. 23 November 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2023.

wanjira, mathai, born, december, 1971, kenyan, environmentalist, activist, managing, director, africa, global, partnerships, world, resources, institute, based, nairobi, kenya, this, role, takes, global, issues, including, deforestation, energy, access, select. Wanjira Mathai born December 1971 is a Kenyan environmentalist and activist She is Managing Director for Africa and Global Partnerships at the World Resources Institute based in Nairobi Kenya 1 In this role she takes on global issues including deforestation and energy access She was selected as one of the 100 Most Influential Africans by New African magazine in 2018 for her role serving as the senior advisor at the World Resources Institute as well as for her campaign to plant more than 30 million trees through her work at the Green Belt Movement 2 Wanjira MathaiMathai speaks at the Global Scholars Symposium in 2013Born1971KenyaAlma materHobart amp William Smith Emory UniversityEmployer s Carter Center World Resources Institute Green Belt MovementParentWangari Maathai mother Contents 1 Early life and education 2 Research and career 2 1 The Green Belt Movement 2 2 Other organizations and foundations 3 Awards 4 ReferencesEarly life and education editMathai was born and raised in Kenya 3 4 Her mother Wangari Maathai was a social environmental and political activist and the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004 5 6 Mathai was a student at State House Girls High School in Nairobi After completing high school she moved to Geneva New York to attend Hobart and William Smith Colleges where she majored in biology and graduated in 1994 7 8 9 She received a master s degree in Public Health and in Business Administration from Emory University 10 11 7 After graduating Mathai joined the Carter Center where she worked on disease control 12 Here she learned about diseases that impacted African communities such as dracunculiasis onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis 13 Research and career editThe Green Belt Movement edit Mathai serves on the World Future Council and on the board of the Green Belt Movement GBM 14 which was founded by Wanjira s mother Wangari in 1977 Originally Mathai served as Director of International of Affairs of the GBM from 2002 and later was made Executive Director of the organization 11 15 At this organization she led fundraising programmes and monitored resource mobilization as well as facilitated international outreach 16 She realized that women were more responsive when the GBM called for people to help planting trees 16 Mathai has said that her work in planting trees also called agroforestry was inspired by her mother s environmental work 17 After her mother won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004 Mathai accompanied her on a world tour 13 When her mother died in 2011 Mathai helped steer the club through a time of transition 10 Other organizations and foundations edit nbsp Mathai talking as Director of the Wangari Maathai InstituteMathai serves as senior advisor of the Partnerships for Women Entrepreneurs in Renewables 18 19 which promotes women in renewable energy leadership in an effort to bring renewables to almost four million women in East Africa 20 To Mathai women s engagement with renewable energy is one of economic empowerment fulfilling several of the Sustainable Development Goals 20 Despite the modernization occurring in Kenya women still spend several hours a day collecting firewood and half of all deaths in children under five years old occur due to household air pollution 21 Mathai serves on the advisory board of the Clean Cooking Alliance and is also a member of the Earth Chapter International Council 22 23 She also serves on the board of trustees of the Center for International Forestry Research CIFOR 24 She is also one of a few six second EQ practitioners 10 These practitioners seek to promote emotional intelligence and support others to create a culture of positivity 25 Since 2016 Mathai has served as chairperson of the Wangari Maathai Foundation 7 26 27 The foundation looks to advance the legacy of Wangari Maathai by promoting a culture of purpose with young people serving as leaders When asked of her work with the foundation Mathai responded I am not living in my mother s shadow I am basking in her light 28 The foundation has three priorities maintaining Wangari Muta Maathai House instilling leadership skills in youth to promote creativity and courage at a young age Wanakesho and a fellowship for young people 16 As an illustration of her faith in the importance of educating youth she was the project director for the Wangari Maathai Institute for Peace and Environmental Studies at the University of Nairobi WMI This institute focuses on promoting positive ethics and sustainable development 23 29 Educating youth has always been one of Maathai s goals and she states Human beings are not born corrupt At some point these behaviors are fostered by a culture that promotes individual gain over collective progress She believes that educating youth will allow for peace building and for a decrease in corruption in Kenya as youth will grow up to become future leaders 30 She often speaks to these topics as she is a motivational speaker on the topics of youth leadership environment and climate change 10 In addition Mathai sits on the board of The World Agroforestry Centre ICRAF in Kenya 14 In 2018 Mathai was selected as one of the 100 Most Influential Africans by New African magazine 31 as well as the Top Influential African Women by the African Leadership University 2 32 As of December 2019 Mathai has served as Vice President and Regional Director for Africa at World Resources Institute 14 1 In this capacity Mathai convinced the Kenyan Environment Minister Judi Wakhungu to commit to restoring 12 6 million acres of deforested land in Kenya by 2030 building on her mother s environmental activism legacy 17 This is part of the African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative AFR100 which Mathai oversees an initiative to restore more than 100 million hectares of deforested land in Africa by 2030 33 34 Awards editIn April 2023 TIME magazine named Wanjira as one of the top 100 most influential people of 2023 35 In November 2023 she was named to the BBC s 100 Women list 36 References edit a b Wanjira Mathai World Resources Institute 26 January 2017 Retrieved 27 December 2019 a b Our List of Top Influential African Women in 2018 ALU 12 March 2019 Archived from the original on 22 June 2021 Retrieved 27 December 2019 Women s Activism NYC womensactivism nyc Retrieved 27 December 2019 Stanford Event Calendar Trees for Africa and Beyond The Vision Continues events stanford edu Archived from the original on 26 October 2021 Retrieved 27 December 2019 The Nobel Peace Prize 2004 NobelPrize org Retrieved 27 December 2019 My mother the Nobel Peace Prize pioneer BBC News 8 December 2016 Retrieved 29 December 2019 a b c Nwololo Millicent 5 July 2020 Being the best is not important doing the best is what matters Daily Nation Retrieved 27 December 2019 Chesler Ellen McGovern Terry 19 June 2015 Women and Girls Rising Progress and resistance around the world Routledge ISBN 978 1 317 48266 6 Wanjira Mathai 94 Named Personality of the Week www2 hws edu Hobart and William Smith Colleges 30 January 2017 Archived from the original on 16 April 2022 Retrieved 27 December 2019 a b c d Wanjira Mathai Metis Fund Retrieved 27 December 2019 a b Wanjira Mathai Global Landscapes Forum Paris 2015 5 6 December 2015 Retrieved 30 December 2019 Wanjira Mathai World Forestry Congress Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Retrieved 27 December 2019 a b We Zoomin on WPower s Director Wanjira Mathai Nairobi Garage 16 March 2017 Retrieved 27 December 2019 a b c Wanjira Mathai World Future Council Retrieved 27 December 2019 Seeking synergy Funding Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Synergos www synergos org Retrieved 30 December 2019 a b c Elkington Natasha 17 August 2018 Values based youth leadership education key to environmental sustainability Wangari Maathai Foundation chair Landscape News Retrieved 27 December 2019 a b McDonnell Tim 28 October 2016 Climate Change Resilience May Mean Planting More Trees National Geographic Archived from the original on 18 December 2019 Retrieved 3 January 2020 Wanjira Mathai World Agroforestry Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees Retrieved 27 December 2019 An Evening with Wanjira Mathai Director wPOWER Hub 19 July 2016 Retrieved 27 December 2019 a b Skoll Wanjira Mathai Retrieved 27 December 2019 WANJIRA MATHAI WOMEN AND ENERGY Cynthia UNTAMED 21 February 2017 Retrieved 27 December 2019 Our Team Wanjira Mathai Clean Cooking Alliance Archived from the original on 14 May 2021 Retrieved 27 December 2019 a b The Green Belt Movement www greenbeltmovement org Retrieved 7 April 2020 Wanjira Mathai Center for International Forestry Research Retrieved 27 December 2019 A Billion People Practicing Emotional Intelligence The EQ Network Vision Six Seconds Retrieved 8 April 2020 Video Wanjira Mathai Peace Boat 8 January 2019 Retrieved 27 December 2019 About Us Wangari Maathai Archived from the original on 18 February 2020 Retrieved 27 December 2019 Wikina Ebenezar 27 January 2016 Beyond COP21 My Stroll With Wanjira Mathai Director wPOWER Hub Wangari Maathai Institute amp Chair the Green Belt Movement HuffPost Retrieved 27 December 2019 Our Vision Wangari Maathai Institute for Peace and Environmental Studies wmi uonbi ac ke Retrieved 7 April 2020 We the Future 2019 Talks from TED the Skoll Foundation and the United Nations Foundation TED Blog 25 September 2019 Retrieved 7 April 2020 Jere Regina Jane 28 December 2018 The 100 Most Influential Africans of 2018 New African Retrieved 16 July 2023 Lily Mwangi 2 December 2018 Hurray 11 Kenyans make it to the list of 100 most influential Africans Kiss FM Archived from the original on 27 December 2019 Retrieved 27 December 2019 Koigi Bob 19 December 2019 World Resources Institute appoints Wanjira Mathai as Regional Director for Africa Africa Business Communities Retrieved 27 December 2019 At COP21 Africans aim to restore 100 million hectares of forest AFP Rekord East 24 July 2014 Archived from the original on 27 December 2019 Retrieved 27 December 2019 TIME 100 most influential people 2023 TIME April 2023 BBC 100 Women 2023 Who is on the list this year BBC News 23 November 2023 Retrieved 24 November 2023 nbsp Wikiquote has quotations related to Wanjira Mathai Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Wanjira Mathai amp oldid 1207219654, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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