Green Belt Movement The beginning was not easy. Police forces of the corrupt Moi* government
destroyed the seedlings that women had hand planted. From the first day, the movement had to fight to survive. But the pioneers of the Green Belt Movement were not discouraged. Eventually Wangari received a commitment from the Kenyan Forest Service that they would provide one million seedlings for free. Unfortunately when the women began to
*
Daniel arap Moi was President of Kenya from 1978 to 2002. Although he was elected, his presidency was really a dictatorship.
engage in planting parties throughout the country, the Forest Service broke its promise. “Only against payment,” one told Wangari and her helpers, implying that they were also against the women. Unfortunately there was no money available to purchase a hundred thousand seedlings, let alone a million! The people from the Forest Service knew this and hoped that by breaking their promise they could get rid of the “troublesome” women. The idea that finally saved the movement, was actually quite simple: “We’ll grow our own seedlings!” How it worked was that women from the countryside received 4 US-cents for every seedling they grew at home from the Green Belt Movement. This may not sound like a lot, but for many of these women it was the first own money that they had earned in their entire lives. For the first time the women could purchase basic essentials for themselves and their families, essentials which up to that point had been out of reach.
Wangari Maathai distributing seeds to the villagers and convincing politicians.
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