Nobel Laureate & Founder of The Green Belt Movement, Wangari Maathai, Loses Battle with Ovarian Cancer

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai, who passed away while undergoing treatment for ovarian cancer.

The people of Kenya have lost a true visionary and a leading voice on the continent of Africa on the environment. According to CNN, at last count, the Green Belt Movement, which she helped to found, had assisted women to plant more than 40 million trees, Archbishop Desmond Tutu said in a statement.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu said: "Professor Maathai introduced the idea of women planting trees in Kenya to reduce poverty and conserve the environment," in a statement released via his office. "She understood and acted on the inextricable links between poverty, rights and environmental sustainability. One can but marvel at her foresight and the scope of her success. She was a true African heroine," the statement continued. "Our condolences go to Professor Maathai's family, to the people of Kenya, and to the countless women (and men) across Africa and the world to whom she was an inspiration." Source