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Wanjira Mathai Visits Peace Boat: A Friendship that Spans Generations
On December 23, Peace Boat was honoured to welcome back Wanjira Mathai, long-time friend, partner, and official supporter of our Ecoship Project. Despite a tight schedule during her visit to Japan, Wanjira stopped by the Peace Boat Center in Tokyo together with her family, once again demonstrating the depth of a relationship that has grown over many years.
Wanjira currently serves as Vice Chair of the World Resources Institute (WRI) and is the daughter of Wangari Muta Maathai, the Kenyan environmental activist and 2004 Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Wangari Maathai is widely known in Japan through the MOTTAINAI Campaign, whose 20th anniversary is being marked this year. Wanjira was in Japan to participate in a Mainichi Shimbun symposium commemorating this milestone.
The visit was also an opportunity for meaningful exchange with Peace Boat’s young volunteers. Conversations flowed freely as Wanjira shared stories and reflections, listened to the questions and aspirations of younger generations, and exchanged ideas over home-cooked Japanese treats prepared by staff and volunteers. These informal moments captured the spirit of Peace Boat’s community - one rooted in dialogue, learning, and connection.
This visit is part of the long friendship and partnership between Peace Boat and the Mathai family, which dates back to our collaboration with Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai herself. That relationship has included study programme visits to the Green Belt Movement in Kenya during Peace Boat voyages, as well as inspiring guest speakers joining the ship to engage directly with participants. Wanjira has continued this legacy, most notably sailing with us as a Guest Educator on the 100th Global Voyage.
Reflecting on her return to Peace Boat, Wanjira shared:
“It’s so good to be back at Peace Boat. To have been part of the 100th Voyage and to see the impact it has — combining the wonder of being on a ship, experiencing beautiful places, and learning — is truly powerful. I’m so glad it continues, and that it continues strong.”
She also spoke about the lasting influence of her mother’s work and the growing environmental consciousness among young people today:
“In the past, environmental work might have been considered my mother’s work. Today, we see young people whose commitment and patience around environmental issues is incredibly deep. The demand for sustainability and good practice — in business and in activism — is so strong. That lasting impact on people’s consciousness continues.”
Emphasizing the importance of experiential learning, a core element of Peace Boat’s voyages, Wanjira added:
“Seeing is believing. There is no better way to learn than to experience. Experiential learning is visceral — it’s spiritual. Through touching, seeing, meeting people, and understanding both the vulnerability and the awesomeness of nature, people’s lives are changed.”
We are deeply grateful to Wanjira Mathai for taking the time to visit Peace Boat and for her continued friendship and support. Her visit was a powerful reminder of the shared history, values, and hope that connect our organizations — and of the importance of creating spaces where generations can meet, learn, and imagine a more sustainable future together.
