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Wanjira Mathai

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

Wanjira Mathai (born December 1971) is a Kenyan environmentalist and activist. She is Vice President and Regional Director for Africa at the World Resources Institute. She was selected as one of the 100 Most Influential Africans by New African Magazine in 2018.

Early life and education

Mathai was born and raised in Kenya.[1][2] Her mother, Wangari Maathai, is a social, environmental and political activist and the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, in 2004.[3][4]

Mathai was a student at State House Girls' High School in Nairobi, and after she completed high school she moved to New York City to attend Hobart and William Smith College.[5][6] Here she majored in biology and graduated in 1994.[7] She received a Masters in Public Health and in Business Administration from Emory University.[8][9][5] After graduating Mathai joined the Carter Center where she worked on disease control.[10] Here she learned about diseases that impacted African communities such as dracunculiasis, onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis.[11]

Research and career

Mathai serves on the World Future Council and on the board of the Green Belt Movement.[12] The Green Belt Movement was founded by Wanjira's mother Wangari in 1977. Mathai served as Director of the Green Belt Movement from 2002 and later was made Executive Director of the organisation.[9][13] She led fundraising programmes and international affairs there.[14] She realised that women were more responsive when the Green Belt Movement called for people to help planting trees.[14] She has said that her work in planting trees, also called agroforestry, was inspired by her mother's environmental work.[15] After her mother won the Nobel Peace Prize, Mathai accompanied her on a world tour.[11]

Wanjira Mathai talking as Director of the Wangari Maathai Institute

Mathai serves as senior advisor of the Partnerships for Women Entrepreneurs in Renewables (wPOWER).[16][17] wPOWER promotes women in renewable energy leadership in an effort to bring renewables to almost four million women in East Africa.[18] To Mathai, women's engagement with renewable energy is one of economic empowerment, fulfilling several of the Sustainable Development Goals.[18] Despite the modernisation occurring in Kenya, women still spend several hours a day collecting firewood, and half of all deaths in children under 5 years old occur due to household air pollution.[19] Mathai serves on the advisory board of the Clean Cooking Alliance.[20]

She serves on the Board of Trustees of the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR).[21] Since 2016 Mathai has served as Chair person of the Wangari Maathai Foundation.[5][22][23] 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...".[24] The foundation has three priorities: maintaining Wangari Muta Maathai House, leadership training for children (Wanakesho) and a fellowship for young people.[14] In 2018 Mathai was selected as one of the 100 Most Influential Africans by New African Magazine, as well as the Top Influential African Women by the African Leadership University.[25][26]

As of December 2019 Mathai has served as Vice President and Regional Director for Africa at World Resources Institute.[12][27] 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.[15] This is part of the African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative (AFR100), which Mathai oversees, an initiative to restore over 100 million hectares of deforested land in Africa by 2030.[28][29]

References

  1. ^ "Women's Activism NYC". womensactivism.nyc. Retrieved 2019-12-27.
  2. ^ Calendar, Stanford Event. "Trees for Africa and Beyond: The Vision Continues". events.stanford.edu. Retrieved 2019-12-27.
  3. ^ "The Nobel Peace Prize 2004". NobelPrize.org. Retrieved 2019-12-27.
  4. ^ "My mother, the Nobel Peace Prize pioneer". BBC News. Retrieved 2019-12-29.
  5. ^ a b c "Personality of the week: Wanjira Mathai, Green Belt Movement". Daily Nation. Retrieved 2019-12-27.
  6. ^ Chesler, Ellen; McGovern, Terry (2015-06-19). Women and Girls Rising: Progress and resistance around the world. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-48266-6.
  7. ^ "Wanjira Mathai '94 Named Personality of the Week". www2.hws.edu. Retrieved 2019-12-27.
  8. ^ "Wanjira Mathai". Metis Fund. Retrieved 2019-12-27.
  9. ^ a b "Wanjira Mathai". Global Landscapes Forum Paris 5-6 Dec. Retrieved 2019-12-30.
  10. ^ "Wanjira Mathai | World Forestry Congress". Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 2019-12-27. {{cite web}}: no-break space character in |title= at position 15 (help)
  11. ^ a b "We #Zoomin: on WPower's Director Wanjira Mathai". Nairobi Garage. 2017-03-16. Retrieved 2019-12-27.
  12. ^ a b "Wanjira Mathai". World Future Council. Retrieved 2019-12-27.
  13. ^ "Seeking synergy: Funding Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation | Synergos". www.synergos.org. Retrieved 2019-12-30.
  14. ^ a b c "Values-based youth leadership education key to environmental sustainability: Wangari Maathai Foundation chair". Landscape News. 2018-08-17. Retrieved 2019-12-27.
  15. ^ a b "Climate Change Resilience May Mean Planting More Trees". National Geographic. 2016-10-28. Retrieved 2020-01-03.
  16. ^ "Wanjira Mathai". World Agroforestry | Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees. Retrieved 2019-12-27.
  17. ^ An Evening with Wanjira Mathai, Director - wPOWER Hub, retrieved 2019-12-27
  18. ^ a b "Skoll | Wanjira Mathai". Retrieved 2019-12-27.
  19. ^ "WANJIRA MATHAI; WOMEN AND ENERGY". Cynthia | UNTAMED. 2017-02-21. Retrieved 2019-12-27.
  20. ^ "Clean Cooking Alliance". Clean Cooking Alliance. Retrieved 2019-12-27.
  21. ^ "Wanjira Mathai". Center for International Forestry Research. Retrieved 2019-12-27.
  22. ^ "Video: Wanjira Mathai". Peace Boat. Retrieved 2019-12-27.
  23. ^ "About Us – Wangari Maathai". Retrieved 2019-12-27.
  24. ^ Wikina, Ebenezar; Journalist, ContributorDigital; Shaper, World Economic Forum Global (2016-01-27). "Beyond COP21: My Stroll With Wanjira Mathai, Director, wPOWER Hub, Wangari Maathai Institute & Chair, the Green Belt Movement". HuffPost. Retrieved 2019-12-27. {{cite web}}: |first2= has generic name (help)
  25. ^ Lily, Mwangi (2018-12-02). "Hurray! 11 Kenyans make it to the list of 100 most influential Africans". Kiss FM. Retrieved 2019-12-27.
  26. ^ "Our List of Top Influential African Women in 2018". ALU. 2019-03-12. Retrieved 2019-12-27.
  27. ^ "Wanjira Mathai". World Resources Institute. 2017-01-26. Retrieved 2019-12-27.
  28. ^ Communities, Africa Business. "World Resources Institute appoints Wanjira Mathai as Regional Director for Africa". Africa Business Communities. Retrieved 2019-12-27. {{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)
  29. ^ "At COP21, Africans aim to restore 100 million hectares of forest | AFP". Rekord East. 2014-07-24. Retrieved 2019-12-27.
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