At just 13 years old, Baraka Moruri of Kenya has already accomplished more for the planet than most people do in a lifetime. He's personally planted over 7,600 trees, rallied his family and friends, and even roped in various organizations to help him out. His current, entirely reasonable goal? Just a cool million trees before he hits 18. Because apparently, that's where we are now.
This isn't some fleeting childhood hobby, either. Baraka's been a force of nature since he was six, which, if you think about it, is both impressive and slightly terrifying for anyone who remembers what they were doing at six. (Probably eating dirt, if we're being honest.)
The Roots of a Movement
Back in March, Baraka and his family dropped a book, "Go Green with Baraka." It's essentially a call to arms, urging young people across Africa to grab the environmental reins. And he's not just talking the talk; he's Little Mister Environment Kenya and an ambassador for the Green Africa Foundation's Plant Your Age initiative.
We're a new kind of news feed.
Regular news is designed to drain you. We're a non-profit built to restore you. Every story we publish is scored for impact, progress, and hope.
Start Your News DetoxHis inspiration? None other than Nobel Peace laureate Wangari Maathai, whose pioneering environmental work he stumbled upon during a school assignment. He watched a video of her battling challenges before ultimately snagging a global award for her efforts. Clearly, some school assignments are more impactful than others.
It makes sense that Baraka is so driven. Climate change hits children in countries like Kenya particularly hard. A UNICEF report, aptly titled "Children’s Climate Risk Report," points out that kids in East Africa are especially vulnerable. So while the rest of us are trying to remember to recycle, Baraka is out there planting a forest, one sapling at a time. And he's got 992,400 more to go. Better get busy.
