The VOV Campaign is a growing network of global citizens committed to building the culture of peace through dialogue & action. Learn More →
Explore how you can contribute to the culture of peace and take a stand against violence.
Join the movement to stop violence in your community by becoming an ambassador, signing the pledge, and sharing your story.
Inspire others by sharing how you have overcome violence and how you are contributing to the culture of peace.
To lead a life in which we are inspired and can inspire others, our hearts have to be alive; they have to be filled with passion and enthusiasm. To achieve that, we need the courage to live true to ourselves. Rather than borrowing from or imitating others, we need the conviction to be able to think for ourselves and to take action out of our own sense of responsibility.
— Daisaku Ikeda
Wangari Maathai is a Kenyan environmentalist and political activist. In the 1970s, Maathai founded the Green Belt Movement, an environmental NGO focused on environmental conservation and women's rights. In 2004, she became the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for her contributions to sustainable development, democracy, and peace.
The Green Belt Movement (http://greenbeltmovement.org) organizes rural women in Kenya to plant trees, an effort that combats deforestation while generating income for the community and promoting empowerment for women. Since Maathai founded the Movement, over 40 million trees have been planted and over 30,000 women have been trained in forestry, food processing, beekeeping, and other sustainable, income-generating activities.
Wangari Maathai also recommends:
• Nature Conservancy (http://www.nature.org)
• United Nations Environmental Programme (http://www.unep.org)
