Wangechi Mutuhi

A Kenyan environmentalist and social entrepreneur driving grassroots conservation and women's empowerment

Wangechi Mutuhi is a visionary environmental leader from Kenya who has pioneered innovative approaches to community-based conservation and gender equality. Founder of the Women for Women in the Samburu District, she developed the 'Green Belt Movement 2.0' concept combining tree planting with financial literacy programs for rural women. Her initiative has planted over 500,000 trees while creating sustainable income streams through honey production and eco-tourism ventures.

Mutuhi's work addresses the triple challenges of desertification, gender inequality, and economic marginalization through her 'Women as Eco-Entrepreneurs' model. By linking environmental restoration with microfinance opportunities, she empowers Samburu women to become land stewards and business leaders. Her TEDx talk "Growing Forests and Fortunes in Kenya" has inspired global replication of her model in Ethiopia, Tanzania and Namibia.

In 2022, she launched the first African women-led carbon credit platform Africa Carbon Initiative, enabling communities to monetize their conservation efforts. Her work was recognized by the UNDP's 2023 Gender Equality Award and featured in National Geographic's "Voices of the Earth" series. Mutuhi's approach demonstrates how environmental protection can be a catalyst for social transformation and economic development in marginalized regions.