The Green Belt Movement (GBM) was founded by Professor Wangari Maathai in 1977 under the auspices of the National Council of Women of Kenya (NCWK) to respond to the needs of rural Kenyan women who reported that their streams were drying up, their food supply was less secure, and they had to walk further and further to get firewood for fuel and fencing. GBM encouraged the women to work together to grow seedlings and plant trees to bind the soil, store rainwater, provide food and firewood, and receive a small monetary token for their work. From its humble beginnings, the Movement grew to become one of the most powerful social movements in sub-Saharan Africa and Maathai was eventually honored with the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004. Learn more at http://www.greenbeltmovement.org/
Photo: Regina Hart