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Thanksgiving Service for the fulfillment of Prof. Maathai’s Vision and commemoration of the 8th memorial

September 25, 2019

The Green Belt Movement (GBM) in collaboration with the Wangari Maathai Institute for Peace and Environmental Studies (WMI) today held a thanksgiving service for the fulfillment of Prof. Wangari Muta Maathai’s vision of the completion of the first phase of the Institute and commemoration of her 8th memorial anniversary.

The thanksgiving service was led by Rev. Prof. Gerishon Kirika who urged everyone to emulate the works of Prof. Wangari Maathai by being conscious of the environment for the benefit the future generations.

Mrs. Marion Kamau, the Chair of Board GBM noted that Prof. Wangari Maathai cared for others and brought people together regardless of their background. She appreciated everyone who worked tirelessly in actualizing Prof. Wangari Maathai’s dream of establishing the Institute to continue her legacy

In his keynote address, the Chief Guest, Prof. S. G. Kiama, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Human Resource and Administration, University of Nairobi and the first Director of the Institute, expressed the joy of seeing the vision of Prof. Wangari Maathai come into a reality. He pointed out some of the struggles of bringing on board every key player and ensuring that the intended goals were achieved, especially after the demise of Prof. Maathai

The remarkable clarity and strategic scope of Prof. Maathai’s vision for WMI can be summed up in a single, but richly resonant, idea: To transfer knowledge and skills on sustainable use of natural resources from academic halls and laboratories to the citizenry in villages and rural communities throughout Africa. And, in doing so, encourage transformational leadership grounded and focused on improving people’s livelihoods and sharing cultures of peace.

Completed in 2018, the Institute was designed to be a functional and inspiring hub of activities in natural resource management.