In Kenya Women Are The First Victims

I Stand Before You And The World Humbled By This Recognition And Uplifted By The Honour Of Being The 2004 Nobel Peace Laureate. As The First African Woman To Receive This Prize, I Accept It On Behalf Of The People Of Kenya And Africa, And Indeed The World. I Am Especially Mindful Of Women And The Girl Child. I Hope It Will Encourage Them To Raise Their Voices And Take More Space For Leadership.

Education Of Course Is A Very Empowering Experience, So Many People Who Went To School Also Managed To Improve Their Quality Of Life Much Faster Because They Could Get A Job, They Could Get Money, And With Money You Could Buy Things That You Cannot Buy If You Don't Have Money.

What People See As Fearlessness Is Really Persistence. Because I Am Focused On The Solution, I Don't See The Danger.

In Kenya Women Are The First Victims Of Environmental Degradation, Because They Are The Ones Who Walk For Hours Looking For Water, Who Fetch Firewood, Who Provide Food For Their Families.

Sometimes I Feel Frustration At The Bureaucracy For Not Moving Fast Enough To Deliver In The Way That I Would Prefer. But That Is Probably Because I Have Worked For Many Years In The Civil Society, Which Tends To Move Much Faster Than Government.