I Will Disappear Into the Forest. An Inspiring Wangari Maathai's Story for Children.
Mahatma Gandhi said, “Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed.”
For two hundred years, educators have reiterated the same thing. That the path to earth stewardship starts not with informative education, but with children being occupied in nature, experiencing nature through the senses and enjoying nature through fantasy and play.
Those early positive experiences of being in nature provide an emotional foundation out of which can develop a life-long interest in and caring for the natural world.
And this can be true for city kids as well, when you start teaching your kid on the important of Mother Nature, he/she will grow up knowing how important it is to conserve and save the environment.
The world has had a few female Nobel laureates, and Africa even fewer, but one environmentalist stands out. Political and environmental activist Professor Wangari Maathai became the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004, awarded for her tireless contribution to sustainable development and for drawing attention to political oppression in Kenya. Prof. Maathai’s Green Belt Movement has successfully planted over 20 million trees and has helped women work their way out of poverty, and its enormous environmental and social impact is testament to the drive and determination of Maathai.
Maathai's vision and determination has inspired countless numbers of people across the globe about environment sustenance, among them, children.
When children learn to appreciate the world from a young age, they are more likely to help protect our land for future generations to come. Generating a passion for the protecting planet early on makes a big difference in influencing children’s future environmentally friendly habits.
Parents can take a number of steps to help their children to learn about the world and caring for our environment.
Even though Maathai changed the world for many Africans through her hard work and dedication, she cannot save the environment alone. No matter where you live or what age you are, you, too, can make a difference. All it takes is an idea or the desire to change something and the drive to make it happen.
During her Nobel Prize acceptance speech, she said, “I would like to call on young people to commit themselves to activities that contribute toward achieving their long-term dreams. You are a gift to your communities and indeed the world. You are the hope and our future.”
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