OSI Grantee Wangari Maathai Awarded Nobel Peace Prize

The Open Society Institute congratulates Wangari Maathai on winning the Nobel Peace Prize for her groundbreaking work to fight poverty through environmental activism. A grantee of the Soros foundations network since 1995, Maathai’s Green Belt Movement, through civic education campaigns and the planting of millions of trees, has helped curb the degradation of Kenya’s forests. The Green Belt Movement has also been a champion of community development and participatory democracy, particularly among the victims of Kenya’s internal conflicts.

The Green Belt Movement has long stood out as an exceptional organization. “The Nobel prize is testament to Maathai’s courage, energy, and determination,” said Aryeh Neier, President of the Open Society Institute.