Taking Root tells the story of the Green Belt Movement of Kenya and its founder Wangari Maathai, the first environmentalist and first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Through TV footage and chilling first person accounts, Taking Root documents the dramatic confrontations of the 1980s and ’90s and captures Maathai’s infectious determination and unwavering courage. Cinema verité footage of the tree nurseries and the women and children who tend them brings to life the confidence and joy of people working to improve their own lives and ensure the future and vitality of their land.
The San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of the US National Committee for UNIFEM (UNIFEM/USNC) was launched in June of 2009. UNIFEM is the United Nations Development Fund for Women, and it works on women’s rights and development issues across the globe. We are committed to expanding support and raising funds within the United States for UNIFEM. Through our efforts we hope to encourage ourselves and others to become involved in advancing women’s rights around the world.
If interested in learning more, please send us an email at sanfranbayarea@unifem-usnc.org.
About the Film Series:
This monthly film series will look at womens rights and development issues. Each month, a film that touches on one of the four themes of UNIFEM (The United Nations Development Fund for Women) will be selected. These four themes are:
– enhancing womens economic security and rights,
– ending violence against women,
– reducing the prevalence of HIV and AIDS among women and girls, and
– advancing gender justice in democratic governance in stable and fragile states.
After each film, a discussion will be held that focuses on the issue being highlighted and what local Bay Area organizations are doing to address that issue.
