William Kamkwamba facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
William Kamkwamba
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Kamkwamba at TED in 2007
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| Born | 5 August 1987 Kasungu, Malawi
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| Nationality | Malawian |
| Education | Bachelor of Arts |
| Alma mater | Dartmouth College |
| Occupation | Innovator |
| Known for | Constructing a wind turbine from scavenged parts |
William Kamkwamba (born August 5, 1987) is an amazing Malawian inventor, engineer, and author. He became famous in his country in 2001. This was when he built a wind turbine to power lights and other things in his family's home. He used simple materials like blue gum trees, bicycle parts, and items from a local scrapyard.
Since then, William has continued to innovate. He built a solar-powered water pump that provides clean drinking water to his village. He also built two more wind turbines, with the tallest one reaching 12 meters high. One of his turbines is in Lilongwe, the capital city of Malawi.
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William's Early Life and Journey
William Kamkwamba grew up in a family that relied on farming to live. He loved playing with his friends, often using recycled items. A terrible famine (a time when there isn't enough food) hit his country. This forced William to stop going to school because his family could not pay the fees.
Even though he couldn't attend school, William was determined to learn. He started visiting the local school library often. There, he discovered his passion for electronics. Before the famine, he had even started a small business fixing radios for people in his village. However, this work did not earn him much money.
After the famine, William found a way to go back to school. He sometimes had to sneak in because the fees were still too high. His father even begged teachers to let him stay, offering them tobacco as a way to pay.
How William Built His Windmill
William read a book called Using Energy at the library. This book gave him an idea: he decided to try building a wind turbine. He started by experimenting with a small model. He used a cheap dynamo, which is a device that creates electricity. Eventually, he built a working wind turbine. This turbine was powerful enough to run his dad's radio.
Local farmers and journalists heard about his spinning device. They came to see it, and soon William's story became famous around the world. A blog called Hacktivate wrote about his achievements. In August 2009, William took part in an event called Maker Faire Africa in Ghana. This event celebrated people who invent things.
Helping His Community
In 2010, William received the GO Ingenuity Award. This award helps inventors share their skills with young people in developing countries. With the money from the award, William held workshops in his home village. He taught young people how to build wind turbines and fix water pumps.
William also continued his own education. In 2007, he joined a special two-year program at the African Leadership Academy in South Africa. This program combined regular school subjects with leadership and business skills. After that, he went on to study at Dartmouth College in the United States, graduating in 2014.
William's Global Recognition
In November 2006, a newspaper in Malawi called The Daily Times wrote about William's wind turbine. His story quickly spread online through blogs. TED conference director Emeka Okafor invited William to speak at TEDGlobal 2007 in Arusha, Tanzania.
William's speech touched many people in the audience. Several investors at the conference offered to help pay for his high school education. His story was also featured in The Wall Street Journal. He attended the African Bible College Christian Academy in Lilongwe. Later, he received a scholarship to the African Leadership Academy and graduated from Dartmouth College in 2014.
William has appeared in many places. He was interviewed on The Daily Show in 2009. He was also a guest speaker at the 2011 Google Science Fair introductory meeting.
In 2008, William started a non-profit organization called "Moving Windmills Project." This organization helps his community in Kasangu, Malawi, and other villages. They help send children to school, build low-cost wells, and install solar-powered pumps. They also improve schools by providing new facilities and learning materials. The main goal of the Moving Windmills Project is to provide basic needs like clean water and good education. They also work on sustainable farming to prevent future famines.
William is the subject of a documentary film called William and the Windmill. This film won a major award at the 2013 South By Southwest film festival.
His book, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, became very popular. Many universities, like the University of Florida and Boise State University, chose it as a book for all new students to read. William visited these universities to talk about his book and his life.
In 2013, TIME magazine named William Kamkwamba one of the "30 People Under 30 Changing The World." He is also featured in the book Extraordinary People by Michael Hearst.
In 2019, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind was made into a movie. It starred Chiwetel Ejiofor, who also wrote and directed the film.
