Gloria Majiga-Kamoto, a 2019 Mandela Washington Fellow at Kansas State University, recently received the 2021 Goldman Environmental Prize for her work implementing Malawi’s ban on thin plastics. Her journey began in Malawi when a program for farmers that provided goats to them began to see rising deaths caused by goats eating plastic bags leftover from roadside snacks.
Majiga-Kamoto, originally from Malawi, came to K-State for the Mandela Washington Fellowship in 2019 with goals to lead change at home by learning from Americans and other professionals from throughout Africa. Her vision for the reduction or elimination of single-use plastics became a driving factor in her work that led her down the path to impacting change on larger scales.
“Gloria is a visionary and a changemaker. When we worked with her in 2019, she was focused on advancing policy and shifting attitudes toward the environment. It is powerful to see her impact on the region and the world as she leads change for a healthier community environment.” said Trisha Gott, Ed.D., associate director and assistant professor for the Staley School of Leadership Studies. “It’s no surprise to me and we are absolutely thrilled to see her accomplishments and the recognition for her work.”
Read the rest of the story at NPR.org. Learn more about the Mandela Washington Fellowship at K-State.
The Mandela Washington Fellowship is a program of the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and administered by IREX. For more information about the Mandela Washington Fellowship, visit mandelawashingtonfellowship.org and join the conversation at #YALI2021.
