Class 11 English Unit 7: Foresters without Diplomas by Wangari Maathai

 

Unit 7: Foresters without Diplomas by Wangari Maathai

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yC9wZTJmDqA

Reflection of the Essay

The essay's title, "Foresters without Diplomas," is a very interesting essay. The focus of the whole article is on Kenyan women's involvement in the Green Belt Movement.

The Green Belt Movement began in the backyard of a political campaign with a married man. The idea was to create jobs for poor communities by cleaning their constituency, planting trees, and cleaning homes of richer people. However, this project failed due to the lack of funding for the work. In 1976, the author was invited to join the National Council of Women of Kenya, where they were exposed to the problems faced by women, such as firewood, malnutrition, lack of food and water, unemployment, and soil erosion.

The author and her organization decided to go to women, as women are the most affected by these problems and are concerned about their children and the future. They discussed planting trees and overcoming problems like a lack of firewood, building materials, stopping soil erosion, and protecting water systems. The women agreed, but they didn't know how to do it. They were taught to plant trees using common sense, and by 1988, they had 10 million trees surviving.

 

The first seven trees were planted on World Environment Day in 1977, and by 1988, they had over 1,500 tree nurseries, 99 percent run by women. The women receive a small payment for every seedling that survives. The few men who come are extremely poor, so they don't mind working with women. Women do a lot of work that requires caring, and the Green Belt Movement has become a movement that even financial donors see as providing results. However, the more successful the Green Belt movement becomes, the more infiltrated it will be by men, who will be there more for economic benefit than commitment.

Men are involved in the planting of trees on farms, particularly in small-scale farming in Africa. Women are the most successful in communities where women are involved in land farming, as they own land and maintain animals. In Kenya, women are the majority of farmers and fuel gatherers, and they also keep animals. The Green Belt Movement has been approached by other countries, but has not been successful in implementing Green Belt-like activities in other African countries.

The Green Belt Movement has received support from various sources, including the United Nations Development Fund for Women, the Danish Voluntary Fund, and the Norwegian Agency for International Development. In the US, the African Development Foundation has supported the Green Belt Movement by making a film about the movement in 1985. The Green Belt Movement has grown to 10 million trees, but the organization still faces challenges in funding and funding. The organization has a team of 750 people who teach new groups and help with report compilation. The headquarters now has about 40 people, but the organization still faces challenges in reaching its goal.

The Green Belt Movement has made significant progress, but the greatest satisfaction is to see the progress made. The organization has faced challenges in promoting creativity, energy, and energy in developing countries. The organization believes that a desire to work and common sense are necessary for success, but the political system often limits these opportunities.

In conclusion, the Green Belt Movement is a powerful and inspiring movement that has the potential to change the landscape of Africa. It is essential for individuals to take action when they feel they have an idea or opportunity, and to continue working towards a more sustainable future.

Ways with Words

A. Match the words with their meanings. (Answers only)

a.      Constituency – electoral district

b.     Pursue – to follow, to overtake, or capture

c.      Infiltrate – to enter or gain access to (an organization, place, etc.) secretly and gradually.

d.     Nomadic – living the life of roaming

e.      Anatomy – the art of studying the different parts of any organized body

f.       Subversive – seeking or intended to overthrow an established system or institution

B.    Study the following words

Video: Prefixes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPtgQW3ryyk

C.   Make two other words by using each prefix given above and use them in sentences.

a.     Mal – malignancy, malware
Malignancy – This should be followed up to exclude malignancy.
Malware – Malware and viruses could infect their computers.

b.     Mis–mismatch, misspell, misuse, misunderstanding,
Misspell – It’s difficult to see misspell in a sentence.
Mismatch – Their marriage was a mismatch; they had little in common.

c.      Un- unhappy, unsatisfied, unforgettable, uncomfortable,
Uncover – Erin never does get to uncover his true identity.
Unsafe – If it weren’t so unsafe, he’d take her with him

d.     In- invaluable, inside, indoor, insensitive, 
Inedible – The food on the flight was inedible.
Incapable – She’d been incapable of empathy or remorse.

e.      Pre-pre-exam, pre-primary, pre-test,
Prevent – I’m sorry to prevent you from seeing him.
Preplan – Now, it is time to pre-plan a new trip.

f.       Il- illegal, ill-tempered, 
Illogical – Not being feminist to me is just totally illogical.
Illusion – These will give the illusion of a cinched waist.

g.     Dis- disqualified, dishonest, discomfort,
Discomfort – Elisabeth’s discomfort was evident.
Disengage – Overcharge the Plasma Pistol and disengage a vehicle.

h.     Im- impossible, imperfect, impart,
Immature – Katie had always been immature, maybe even a little lazy.
Immortal – The Dark One was going to turn her Immortal.

i.       Re- reuse, rewrite, recover, recycle, reconnect,
Return – I have something to return to you.
Rewrite – We can rewrite history as much as we like.

j.       Ir- irregular, irrelevant,
Irremovable – Nowadays, most smartphones have an irremovable battery.
Irrational – These are isolated cases of irrational numbers.

k.     De- detail, decompose, depart,  detest
Deactivate – At this point, your account will immediately be deactivated.
Defrost – A basic microwave oven should be able to cook, defrost, and reheat.

l.       Non- nonsense, nonstop
Nonstick – You’ll need a nonstick cooking spray.
Nonverbal – Their nonverbal exchange made me smile.

Comprehension

Answer these questions.

a.      What did Maathai decide to do for the community?
Maathai decided to create jobs for women in her community.

b.     Mention the problems faced by women in Kenya.
The problems faced by women in Kenya were malnutrition, lack of food and adequate water, and unemployment.

c.      Why did the speaker go to the women to talk about planting trees?
The speaker went to the women to talk about planting trees because the women in Kenya were most affected by the problems of firewood, malnutrition, lack of food and adequate water, unemployment, and soil erosion, and were concerned about children and the future.

d.     What is the most important achievement of the movement described in the text?
The most important achievement of the movement described in the text is that women were independent, had acquired knowledge and techniques, and had become empowered. They have been teaching each other.

e.      Why were the foresters’ ways not helpful to the women for planting trees?

The foresters’ ways were not helpful to the women for planting trees because they complicated the ways of dealing with a very simple thing, like looking for seeds and planting trees.

f.       When and how did she start the Green Belt Movement?

She started The Green Belt Movement on World Environment Day on June 5, 1977, by planting the first seven trees.

g.     Why do the donors want to provide money to the women?

The donors want to provide money to the women because their efforts have provided satisfactory results.

h.     What happened when the speaker criticized the political leadership?
The speaker has been portrayed as subversive when the speaker criticized the political leadership.

i.       Mention the agencies that supported her movement.
The agencies that supported her movement are as follows:

·   United Nations Development Fund for Women

·   Danish Voluntary Fund

·   Norwegian Agency for International Development

·   African Development Foundation

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