A few weeks ago, Greta Thunberg, the Swedish, teen, climate activist received the Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity and was awarded a prize worth 1 million euros.
To everyone’s surprise, Greta, 17, immediately said that she will gladly donate all of her prize money through her Fridays for Future Foundation.
“The prize money, which is one million euros, she said in her Twitter post”, “is more money than I can even begin to imagine,” Thunberg said in a video posted on her Twitter page.
“But all the prize money will be donated through my foundation to different organizations and projects who are working to help people on the front lines, affected by the climate crisis and ecological crisis, especially in the global south,” Thunberg added.
“Also to help organizations and projects who are fighting for a sustainable world and who are fighting to defend nature and the natural world.”
I’m extremely honoured to receive the Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity. We’re in a climate emergency, and my foundation will as quickly as possible donate all the prize money of 1 million Euros to support … ->
1/3 pic.twitter.com/Eti6AJXSvj— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) July 20, 2020
One portion of the prize, or €100,000 (£90,175) to be precise, will be donated to SOS Amazonia, the environmental organization that works to protect the rainforest, fights for the rights of the indigenous tribes in Brazil and tackles the spread of Covid-19 through providing the people with food supplies, basic hygiene, and health equipment.
Another portion of her prize money will also be donated to Stop Ecocide Foundation which strives to incriminate environmental destruction (ecocide) once and for all.
As for the rest of the money, Greta announced in her Twitter video, that she has decided to donate them through her foundation to other organizations and causes that have an active role in helping the people on the frontlines affected by the climate issue, as well as the eco-crisis happening right now in the global South.
According to the Chair of the Grand Jury Prize Jorge Sampaio, Greta was selected among 136 nominees from 46 countries for her ability to “mobilize younger generations for the cause of climate change,” which is truly admirable and inspiring, if you ask me.
But this is not the first time this incredible girl decided to do something so pure and selfless. In May, she received a separate award for her activism and she donated all the money to UNICEF. A total amount of $100,000.
Moreover, in August 2019, she sailed across the Atlantic ocean in a zero-emissions sailboat from the UK to New York to be a part of the United Nations Climate Action Summit. There, she awed the entire crowd with her bold, explosive speech, condemning attendees for valuing, and prizing economic growth over our environment.
All in all, this girl is our modern-day hero.
One can really dream of a brighter future with such brave and inspirational generations ahead of us. May we all learn from her!
