The People Are Learning That You Cannot

When I First Started, It Was Really An Innocent Response To The Needs Of Women In Rural Areas. When We Started Planting Trees To Meet Their Needs, There Was Nothing Beyond That. I Did Not See All The Issues That I Have To Come To Deal With.

Using Trees As A Symbol Of Peace Is In Keeping With A Widespread African Tradition. For Example, The Elders Of The Kikuyu Carried A Staff From The Thigi Tree That, When Placed Between Two Disputing Sides, Caused Them To Stop Fighting And Seek Reconciliation. Many Communities In Africa Have These Traditions.

I Would Like To Call On Young People To Commit Themselves To Activities That Contribute Toward Achieving Their Long-term Dreams. They Have The Energy And Creativity To Shape A Sustainable Future. To The Young People I Say, You Are A Gift To Your Communities And Indeed The World. You Are Our Hope And Our Future.

When I Went Back Home, I Was Constantly Being Reminded, I'm An African Woman, And So There Are Certain Things I Shouldn't Do, Certain Ambitions That I Should Not Entertain. That Was A Problem For Me Because I Had Never Thought Of Myself As An African Woman, Never Thought Of Myself As A Woman To Begin With. For Me The Limit Was My Capacity, My Capability.

As I Swept The Last Bit Of Dust, I Made A Covenant With Myself: I Will Accept. Whatever Will Be, Will Be. I Have A Life To Lead. I Recalled Words A Friend Had Told Me, The Philosophy Of Her Faith. "life Is A Journey And A Struggle," She Had Said. "we Cannot Control It, But We Can Make The Best Of Any Situation." I Was Indeed In Quite A Situation. It Was Up To Me To Make The Best Of It.