William Kamkwamba was born August 5, 1987, in Malawi, Africa, a country plagued by AIDS and poverty. Like most people in his village, his family of nine subsisted on the meager crops they could grow, living without the luxuries—considered necessities in the West—of electricity or running water. Already living on the edge, the situation became dire when, in 2002, Malawi experienced the worst famine in 50 years. Struggling to survive, 14-year-old William was forced to drop out of school because his family could not afford the $80-a-year tuition.
Windmill
Though he was not in a classroom, William continued to think, learn—and dream. Armed with curiosity, determination and a library book he discovered in a nearby library, he embarked on a daring plan—to build a windmill that could bring his family the electricity only two percent of Malawians could afford.
Building the first windmill: materials and process
William's family, village and mentors
Discovered
The windmill project drew visitors from many kilometers away, including Dr. Hartford Mchazime, Ph.D., the deputy director of MTTA, the Malawian Non-Government Organization (NGO) responsible for community libraries.
Mchazime brought press, including: The Malawi Daily Times, bloggers/engineers Soyapi Mumba and Mike McKay from the Baoabab Health Project in Malawi, and Emeka Okafor, program director for TEDGlobal, a prestigious gathering of thinkers and innovators.
Okafor diligently searched for William and invited him to participate as a TED Conference fellow. William’s presentation led him to mentors and donors willing to support William’s education and village projects.
Education
Fundraising by Dr. Mchazime allowed William to re-enroll in high school at Madisi Secondary School. After one trimester, William transferred to African Bible College Christian Academy, a private prep school in the capital city of Lilongwe.
In summer 2008, William completed a English immersion course at Regents Language Institute, Cambridge, U.K.
In September, 2008, William became one of 97 inaugural students at the African Leadership Academy, a pan-African prep school based near Johannesburg, South Africa. The school aims to provide rigorous academics, ethical leadership training, entrepreneurship and design education.
African Leadership Academy grand opening, February, 2009
Africa Economic Forum at Columbia University, March, 2009
Aspen Ideas Festival
TEDGlobal 2009, July, 2009
Maker Faire Africa, summer, 2009
Science Chicago, summer, 2009
Playwright
William wrote and performed a HIV prevention comedy with his six best friends, entitled You Can’t Judge a Book by its Cover. The play reached over 500 villagers in three performances.
Exhibit
A one-year exhibit, “Driving Force: Visionaries Redefining our World,” opened September 3, 2008 at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. The exhibit features William as one of a dozen innovators and includes the Moving Windmills short film, photos and electro-mechanical devices hand-made by William.
Book
William’s autobiography, with co-author Bryan Mealer, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope, debuts worldwide September 29, 2009. William Morrow, an imprint of Harper Collins, is publishing the book.
Media
Profiles of William include: Front page of The Wall Street Journal, December 8, 2007, The Malawi Daily Times, The Sydney Morning Herald, La Repubblica, Banker Magazine (Financial Times, U.K.), and a special Africa issue of L’Uomo Vogue.
Myriad blogs featured William, including Boing Boing, Worldchanging and Treehugger. William’s blog appeared on the front pages of news aggregators Digg and Reddit.
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William’s Story
Childhood
William's Home
William Kamkwamba was born August 5, 1987, in Malawi, Africa, a country plagued by AIDS and poverty. Like most people in his village, his family of nine subsisted on the meager crops they could grow, living without the luxuries—considered necessities in the West—of electricity or running water. Already living on the edge, the situation became dire when, in 2002, Malawi experienced the worst famine in 50 years. Struggling to survive, 14-year-old William was forced to drop out of school because his family could not afford the $80-a-year tuition.
Windmill
Though he was not in a classroom, William continued to think, learn—and dream. Armed with curiosity, determination and a library book he discovered in a nearby library, he embarked on a daring plan—to build a windmill that could bring his family the electricity only two percent of Malawians could afford.
Building the first windmill: materials and process
William's family, village and mentors
Discovered
The windmill project drew visitors from many kilometers away, including Dr. Hartford Mchazime, Ph.D., the deputy director of MTTA, the Malawian Non-Government Organization (NGO) responsible for community libraries.
Mchazime brought press, including: The Malawi Daily Times, bloggers/engineers Soyapi Mumba and Mike McKay from the Baoabab Health Project in Malawi, and Emeka Okafor, program director for TEDGlobal, a prestigious gathering of thinkers and innovators.
Okafor diligently searched for William and invited him to participate as a TED Conference fellow. William’s presentation led him to mentors and donors willing to support William’s education and village projects.
Education
Fundraising by Dr. Mchazime allowed William to re-enroll in high school at Madisi Secondary School. After one trimester, William transferred to African Bible College Christian Academy, a private prep school in the capital city of Lilongwe.
In summer 2008, William completed a English immersion course at Regents Language Institute, Cambridge, U.K.
In September, 2008, William became one of 97 inaugural students at the African Leadership Academy, a pan-African prep school based near Johannesburg, South Africa. The school aims to provide rigorous academics, ethical leadership training, entrepreneurship and design education.
Speaking Engagements
Playwright
William wrote and performed a HIV prevention comedy with his six best friends, entitled You Can’t Judge a Book by its Cover. The play reached over 500 villagers in three performances.
Exhibit
A one-year exhibit, “Driving Force: Visionaries Redefining our World,” opened September 3, 2008 at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. The exhibit features William as one of a dozen innovators and includes the Moving Windmills short film, photos and electro-mechanical devices hand-made by William.
Book
William’s autobiography, with co-author Bryan Mealer, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope, debuts worldwide September 29, 2009. William Morrow, an imprint of Harper Collins, is publishing the book.
Media
Profiles of William include: Front page of The Wall Street Journal, December 8, 2007, The Malawi Daily Times, The Sydney Morning Herald, La Repubblica, Banker Magazine (Financial Times, U.K.), and a special Africa issue of L’Uomo Vogue.
Myriad blogs featured William, including Boing Boing, Worldchanging and Treehugger. William’s blog appeared on the front pages of news aggregators Digg and Reddit.
William’s blog
Follow William on Twitter
Email: william [at] movingwindmills.org