From JKL to BBC: Kenyan girl now shines as climate change activist years after viral interview

• Ellyanne Wanjiku Chlystun, a 14-year-old Kenyan climate change activist, continues to rise from strength to strength
• Inspired by the late Nobel laureate Professor Wangari Maathai, the teenager has been passionate about environmental issues since the age of four
• Her initiative saw her meet King Charles and join former football star David Beckham in campaigning against climate change.

A 14-year-old girl from Kenya, Ellyanne Wanjiku Chlystun, has attracted international attention for her passionate efforts to combat climate change.

BBC News reports that the young man was inspired by the late Nobel laureate Prof Wangari Maathai.

Since then, Ellyanne has been on a mission to plant trees and raise awareness about environmental issues since she was four years old.

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His advocacy led to partnerships with Grammy-winning director Meji Alabi and former soccer star David Beckham.

Ellyanne’s environmental journey began in kindergarten when she met iconic figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela.

But it was Professor Maathai, a renowned tree planter and environmental activist from Kenya, who moved her deeply.

“Wangari Maathai was an incredible Kenyan woman who planted millions of trees to spread awareness about what tree planting can do to develop a country or continent. That’s what inspired me,” she said.

Professor Maathai, the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004, founded the Green Belt Movement.

The movement had planted more than 45 million trees in Kenya by the time of its death in 2011.

Maathai’s work has empowered women, especially in rural areas, to improve their environments by planting trees to combat deforestation and desertification.

Determined to follow in his footsteps, Ellyanne initially faced reluctance from her mother, Dorothy, who was concerned about the dangers Maathai faced as a political activist.

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But young Ellyanne was persistent, saying she wanted to be like Prof Maathai.

Her love for planting trees grew as she tended her first sapling and began to learn more about the science behind trees, with guidance from Dr. Jane Njuguna of the Kenya Forestry Research Institute.

In 2017, with the support of her family, Ellyanne founded Children With Nature, a nonprofit organization focused on teaching children how they can make a difference in their local environments.

In 2020, Ellyanne personally planted around 250,000 trees, with her global network surpassing the 1.3 million mark.

She has planted trees in countries including Uganda, the United Kingdom and the United States, but most of her work has been concentrated in Kenya.

In 2023, he participated in the climate summit in Dubai, where he met King Charles and gave a speech highlighting the link between climate change and malaria.

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“As weather patterns change, malaria cases are rising and new regions in Kenya are recording cases for the first time,” she said.

Ellyanne also stars in the documentary SaveOurWildlife, produced by Sky News and Sky Kids FYI, which examines the effects of climate change on animals.

She reports on elephants, explaining how drought now poses a greater threat to their survival than poaching.

The film was nominated for the prestigious Wildscreen Panda Awards in the United Kingdom.

Despite her growing role in global climate campaigns, Ellyanne remains committed to her mission of planting trees.

Its ultimate goal is to be part of the Great Green Wall of Africa initiative, which aims to halt the spread of the Sahara Desert through reforestation.

She aims to help plant a trillion trees around the world by the time she turns 18.

“I was raised to believe that anything is possible, especially for me when I was young,” says Ellyanne.

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However, unlike her hero, Prof Maathai, Ellyanne has no political ambitions and dreams of studying economics and continuing her environmental activism.

For now, the young activist is balancing her schoolwork with her global advocacy, determined to continue making an impact in the fight against climate change.

Source: TUKO.co.ke