Lesein Mutunkei is a Kenyan environmental activist and footballer.[1]

Early life

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Mutunkei was described as "started his journey as an environmentalist when he was five years old".[2] He started playing tennis at the age of seven before starting to focus on playing football at the age of twelve and was regarded as one of his school team's most important strikers.[3]

Education

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Mutunkei attended a pre-college program at United World College Maastricht in the Netherlands.[4]

Career

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Mutunkei founded Trees4Goals, an initiative to combat deforestation.[5][6][7] He has been featured in multiple books and has participated in environmental conferences worldwide.[8] In 2019, he attended the first UN Youth Climate Summit in New York City, United States, where at age fifteen he was one of the youngest attendees.[9]

Personal life

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Mutunkei has an older sister.[10]

References

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  1. ^ "'Every time I score, I plant a tree'". BBC News. 2018-10-25. Retrieved 2023-09-19.
  2. ^ Kainz, Natalie (2022-07-26). "This teenager in Kenya is hoping to catch FIFA's attention -- but not for his football skills". CNN. Retrieved 2023-09-19.
  3. ^ "Lesein Mutunkei: The Environmentalist-Footballer". Paukwa. 2019-10-18. Retrieved 2023-09-19.
  4. ^ Nuckolls, Jason Daniel (2023-09-08). "Kenyan footballer scores environmental goals with tree-planting project". Newsweek. Retrieved 2023-09-19.
  5. ^ Head, Ally (2023-04-05). "8 Gen Z climate activists to follow now that aren't Greta Thunberg". Marie Claire UK. Retrieved 2023-09-19.
  6. ^ Rix-Standing, Luke (2021-05-27). "6 young climate activists making waves". The Independent. Retrieved 2023-09-19.
  7. ^ Parker, Laura (2020-03-25). "Greta Thunberg wasn't the first to demand climate action. Meet more young activists". National Geographic. Archived from the original on March 5, 2021. Retrieved 2023-09-19.
  8. ^ Garcet, Daniela (2021-04-15). "Every Seed Counts: Interview with Lesein Mutunkei, Kenyan climate activist". Tra i Leoni. Retrieved 2023-09-19.
  9. ^ van Hensbergen, Hendrikus (2020-07-03). "Trees for Goals: Lesein's story". The Ecologist. Retrieved 2023-09-19.
  10. ^ Parker, Laura (2020-04-28). "For young people, two defining events: COVID-19 and climate change". National Geographic. Archived from the original on 2023-09-18. Retrieved 2023-09-19.