Community Action

Zeinab Musa
© WWF

One of nine children from a Kenyan village where education was not a priority-and girls traditionally did not receive any-Zeinab Musa watched each day as her three brothers departed for school and wished that she could go too. So determined was she to get an education, Zeinab would sneak out of the house, sit outside the school building, and learn through the windows. After weeks of this, her older brother brought her inside, where, at mid-year, without any books or a school uniform, she began her formal education.

With hard work and resolve, Zeinab not only caught up with the other students but went on to finish secondary school at the top of her class. She continued on to college, and after receiving a diploma in science education she returned to her village to teach others about the importance of conservation.

Currently, Zeinab works for WWF in the Kiunga marine reserve, directing the education and conservation awareness program and managing the WWF Girls' Scholarship Program. "By supporting girls you are improving a household," says Zeinab, who wants to help youth see the importance of both conservation and education. "Before, the girls could never imagine that there would be a [woman] working the field of conservation. Girls need to be brought up to believe that we can do more."

The goal of the WWF-supported program, which started with just three students, is to teach boys and girls about conservation and prepare them to succeed in the field. The program, which has both formal and informal components, requires students to be committed, demonstrate academic excellence and have a financial need. The formal instruction promotes learning and community building through debates and inter-village academic competitions, while the informal portion focuses on conservation activities like coral transplants, resource management and environmental awareness.

Like so many successful people, Zeinab was inspired by her first teacher, who gave her encouragement and drive. She hopes to continue her education so that she can be "more effective in [her] field." Through her work with WWF, Zeinab is realizing her goal of using education to influence the world.