GBM Blog
The Storymoja Hay Festival honours Wangari Maathai!
The 4th Storymoja Hay Festival was held in Nairobi this past weekend. The festival is the Hay Festival’s African counterpart, bringing together writers from across the world. In honour of Wangari Maathai, an annual ‘Wangari Maathai lecture’ was launched. The inaugural lecture was given by the celebrated Chinese author and historian, Jung Chang.
The Great Primate Handshake!
In August, the Green Belt Movement (GBM) hosted a team of eleven volunteer photographers, filmmakers, graphic designers and media creators from the Great Primate Handshake. Primate Handshake raises awareness on primate sanctuaries and conservation programmes through the production of video, web and media content. They also run expeditions with local conservation organisations to identify ways in which Primate Handshake can support them – especially through the use of digital media.
Queen of Africa’s Trees: The Sacred Fig Tree
“In Africa, there lives an extraordinary tree. She is queen of the riverbank. A monarch, whose story stretches back millions of years. In tribal cultures, her mysterious ways have fuelled myth and legend. They set her apart from other trees. She is a Sycamore Fig, Queen of Africa’s trees.”
The Awesome King Muru Tree!
King Muru, is a 200 year old Meru Oak (Vitex kiniensis) tree located in Lower Imenti forest in Meru city, about five miles north of the equator in central Kenya. The huge King Muru tree is symbolic of the Green Belt Movement’s (GBM) efforts towards biodiversity conservation in the Mount Kenya region - one of Kenya’s main watersheds.
Teaching will soon begin at the Wangari Maathai Institute for Peace and Environmental Studies
Fantastic news from the Wangari Maathai Institute for Peace and Environmental Studies (WMI)! The Senate of the University of Nairobi has approved the first syllabus for the ‘Environmental Governance and Management’ degree programme, which means that the institute can now formally commence teaching!
Peace from the Roots
On Friday the 13th of July, GBM held a seminar for students of Daystar University in Nairobi at our Langata Training Centre, on the linkages between the environment, peace and good governance. Twenty-two students who are studying peace studies, international studies, electronic media studies and mass communication at Daystar University attended the event.
Powering the Green Belt Movement
For 35 years the Green Belt Movement (GBM) has been empowering women and communities in rural Kenya to develop a greener and cleaner world while improving their livelihoods. Professor Wangari Maathai, an extraordinary woman who in 2004 received the Nobel Peace Prize for her profound work, started the movement by promoting an understanding of the relationship between a healthy environment and civically engaged communities.
My GBM Experience: a Lesson on Activism in Kenya
Kenya Communications Intern, Grace Wanene, shares what it was like to take part in a Green Belt Movement protest against illegal land grabbing in Nairobi.
The Hummingbirds of Peponi Preparatory School!
On Saturday 30th June, the Green Belt Movement (GBM) in collaboration with students from Peponi House Preparatory School and women from Mutamaiyu Women’s Group held a very unique tree planting event. The event, which took place on Peponi Road near the turn off to Thigiri Ridge, was initiated by Leo, a 7 year old student of Peponi Prep.
Rehabilitating Kirisia watersheds through the support of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, Yves Rocher Foundation and Schooner Foundation
With the support of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, Yves Rocher Foundation and the Schooner Foundation, the Green Belt Movement is working with Pastoralist Samburu communities to rehabilitate Kirisia watersheds.