Thunberg, Cameroon activist honored

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Greta Thunberg, a young activist who has gone from staging school strikes to scolding world leaders about their climate change inaction, was awarded the prestigious International Children’s Peace Prize on Wednesday, along with Cameroon peace campaigner Divina Maloum.

Maloum campaigns for the rights and education of Cameroon children preyed upon by extremist groups, while Thunberg has made global headlines for her calls for action to tackle climate change.

Thunberg could not accept the award in person as she was sailing across the Atlantic Ocean toward an international climate conference in Madrid.

She texted friend and fellow activist Luisa Neubauer who accepted the award on her behalf: “I am incredibly grateful and honored for this prize.” Thunberg dedicated the prize to her Fridays For Future movement.

In a video introducing the winners, organizers said that Thunberg and Maloum show that “children are at the heart of the fight for a safe and sustainable future.”

Maloum set up an organization called Children for Peace that tours schools, mosques and marketplaces in her native Cameroon speaking to children who could fall prey to extremist groups like Boko Haram.