Green Belt Movement

From Wikigender.org

The Green Belt Movement is a grassroots non-governmental organisation based in Nairobi, Kenya that takes a holistic approach to development by focusing on environmental conservation, community development and capacity building. The Green Belt Movement (GBM) was founded in 1977 by Wangari Maathai. Through its holistic approach to development, GBM addresses the underlying social, political, and economic causes of poverty and environmental degradation at the grassroots level.

Organisation's Goals

The Green Belt Movement has two divisions. Green Belt Movement Kenya and Green Belt Movement International.

GBMI has four goals:

1: To strengthen and expand the Green Belt Movement in Kenya
2: To share the Green Belt Movement’s program with other countries in Africa and beyond
3: To empower Africans, especially women and girls, and nurture their leadership and entrepreneurial skills
4: Advocate internationally for the environment, good governance, equity and cultures of peace

Empowering Women

Since 2003, the Green Belt Movement (Kenya) established its "Women and Girls" programme. The programme aims to:

Assist young girls and women in facing the challenges of growing up, making complex decisions about their sexual and reproductive health, and gaining knowledge and skills to protect themselves from HIV and AIDS
Facilitate the establishment of income generating activities (IGAs) such as tree planting, bee keeping and food processing to engender economic empowerment
Promote healthy eating habits, especially of indigenous food crops known to have high nutritional value, through food production and processing

The approach combines capacity building of women and women's networks, gender equity promotion, providing skills for HIV/AIDS prevention, and supporting local initiatives for food security, environment and income generation. Services and resources provided through the programe include:

school fees for needy bright girls
credit for income generating activities
school-based reproductive health and alcohol abuse prevention seminars
working with women's organizations to find solutions to their immediate conditions such as poverty, HIV/AIDS, orphans and food insecurity
Facilitating links between community groups and government offices to access information and resources
Conducting training sessions to offer skills for HIV/AIDS and early Pregnancy prevention
Participating in mass actions and events for awareness raising on issues such as HIV/AIDS, drug abuse and environmental degradation
Participating in the formation and revival of women networks such as the Kenya Association of University Women.
Networking with other women's organisations such as the Girl Guides, Society of Women and AIDS in Kenya (SWAK), <National Council of Women of Kenya and University Womenbr>
Training women on skills for income generating activities

References

The Green Belt Movement, Wangari Maathai, 2006
Michaelson, M. Wangari Maathai and Kenya's Green Belt Movement: Exploring the Evolution and Potentialities of Consensus Movement Mobilization, 1994