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Women in Conservation
WWF Celebrates International Women’s Day
March 8, 2009
Success Story:
WWF’s Zeinab Musa
Every day, all over the world, women make countless choices that affect the environment. In their hands lie many decisions about the use of community resources – water for the household, land for agriculture, wood for heating and cooking, plants and animals for food and sale.
Recognizing the different roles of women and men in natural resource management, WWF works with both groups to enhance their stewardship of the environment and improve livelihoods. Successful women's programs include small business development, access to health services like family planning and maternal and child health, efficient and sustainable agriculture techniques and literacy programs.
WWF's Girls' Education Program
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Mariam Hamdani, Mafia Island, Tanzania
© WWF/Drew Crandall
Meet Mariam Hamdani
Graduate, WWF Girls’ Education Program
"I joined the Environmental club, because I wanted to learn many things from it - especially environmental conservation like planting trees, grasses and to travel to many village like Utende. I would like to say thank to the WWF for giving me that scholarship because it helped me to reach my goals. EDUCATION IS THE KEY TO LIFE."
I want "to be an environmentalist to help my society," says Mariam. She has traveled throughout the villages of Mafia Island, performing songs and skits to educate communities on the importance of conservation. In her short lifetime, she has seen that through education, people’s behavior has changed towards the environment. "They are following the rules. People are using proper ways of fishing, have stopped using dynamite, and stopped cutting trees." But education is not only important for the environment. Mariam says that, "education is the only way to make (girls) have a good life. If girls are educated, they can get jobs and a salary which can help them to run their lives."
After secondary school, Mariam went to the WWF office on Mafia Island and told them, "I want to join the conservation activities on Mafia Island. I don’t want to be idle without anything to do." WWF put Mariam straight to work going to Kitomondo and Kirongwe Secondary Schools to mentor the girls in their education and development. With continued financial support from WWF’s Girls Education Program, Mariam is now the first person from Mafia Island ever to attend college. She is studying Environmental Studies and Geography and plans to return to Mafia Island to work on environmental projects.
Learn more about WWF’s work with women and girls:
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