Unsung Heroines: Professor Wangari Maathai

Professor Wangari Maathai from Kenya, the 2004 Winner of Nobel Peace Prize, the first African woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize since its creation in 1901. Born 65 years ago in Nyeri, Kenya, Prof. Maathai is a founder of a grass roots organisation called the Green Belt Movement, which has to date mobilised around mostly women to protect the environment by planting trees. 1987 she founded Kenya's Green Party and was several times arrested and imprisoned for criticising the then government's policies on environment and abusé of human rights. Professor Maathai is also listed on the UNEP's Global 500 Hall of Fame and is named as one of the 100 heroines of the world.