Bebe Arcifa Khan-Ajodha
Bebe Arcifa Ajodha of Trinidad and Tobago has mobilized entire communities and spurred an entire nation to act.
She introduced the concept of environmental education in the country, which today is included in the social studies and science curricula. She developed and implemented plans for long-term conservation and she coordinated an area study of San Fernando Hill, which had been denuded by illegal quarrying. She devised a comprehensive environmental education policy for the Environmental Management Agency, which was presented to the cabinet in 1998. She has prepared and produced posters and brochures on oceans, vehicle emissions and lead poisoning.
She has conducted workshops with curriculum facilitators to produce an environmental activity booklet for children. She compiled a glossary of environment terms for the Ministry of Planning and Environment, which was distributed to all schools in Trinidad and Tobago. She prepared a draft syllabus for San Fernando's Technical Institute on Environmental Management, and she is a part-time lecturer on science and environmental studies at Corinth Teachers College.
She was appointed a member of the Wildlife Conservation Committee, which advises the Minister of Agriculture on wildlife conservation. She has launched a number of environmental clubs in schools, and in 1997, she was nominated Woman of the Year for her work on the environment.