Nzambi Matee facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nzambi Matee
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| Born | 19 September 1992 Nairobi Kenya
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| Nationality | Kenyan |
| Occupation | engineer, activist and environmentalist |
| Organization | Gjenge Makers |
| Known for | recycling plastic to make bricks |
Nzambi Matee, born on September 19, 1992, is a talented engineer and environmentalist from Kenya. She's famous for her amazing ideas about turning trash into useful things. Nzambi found a way to recycle plastic waste into strong bricks, even stronger than concrete! This helps a lot with plastic pollution in Kenya. She started a company called Gjenge Makers in Nairobi, Kenya, to do this important work.
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Nzambi Matee's Journey
Nzambi Matee studied physics and material engineering. She used to work as an engineer in Kenya's oil industry.
Starting a New Path
In 2017, Nzambi decided to leave her job. She wanted to focus on helping the environment and managing waste. She set up a small lab in her mother’s backyard. There, she started making and testing paving bricks.
Creating Stronger Bricks
It took her about a year to find the perfect mix for her paving bricks. In 2018, she made her first brick from plastic waste. A year later, in 2019, she built her own machine. This machine helps turn plastic waste into many bricks, much faster!
Facing Challenges and Finding Support
Nzambi faced some challenges while working on her project. Her neighbors sometimes complained about the noisy machine. She even took a break from her social life for a year to focus on her mission.
Later, she won a scholarship to attend a special training program in the United States. While there, she used labs at the University of Colorado Boulder. This helped her test and improve the mix of sand and plastic for her bricks.
Founding Gjenge Makers
Nzambi was inspired to start her company, Gjenge Makers, after seeing plastic bags scattered everywhere in Nairobi. She wanted to clean up the city. She used her own design skills to create the machines for her factory. By 2021, her factory had recycled about 20 tonnes of plastic waste.
Global Recognition
Nzambi Matee's hard work was recognized by the United Nations Environment Programme. She won the special Young Champion of the Earth award for Africa in 2020. This award celebrates young people who are making a big difference for our planet.
