Victor Mathew

Background

About Victor Mathew

Victor is a passionate teacher from the northern region of Kano, Nigeria. His fervor is based on one mission: education. With a university education in environmental sciences, Victor now shares his knowledge, dedicating his expertise to shaping the minds of the next generation. Witnessing environmental degradation in his community due to pollution and natural disasters, Victor felt compelled to take up urgent ecological challenges. That is why, for the past eight years, he has been at the helm of an initiative affectionately known by communities as "Vikipedia." This project is a beacon of positive change in his community, with the primary aim of promoting the teaching of sustainable development in 16 public schools in the Kano and Kaduna regions of Nigeria. To date, it has raised awareness among 1,460 young people aged 6 to 15 of the environmental and climate challenges they face. Notably, 46% of these learners are girls, underlining the considerable impact of inclusion in education. A tree is gifted to them on their birthday to instill a sense of responsibility for their environment in every child. Nurturing their growing tree, students learn the importance and role of the tree in their home and community. Raised by parents who were educators themselves, it is, for Victor, a personal obligation to equip the next generation with the tools necessary to safeguard the environment. As a young Earth Charter leader for the past four years, Victor has refined his skills in advocacy and promoting community ethics.