The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

Photo copyright William Kamkwamba

In 2002 William Kamkwamba was an unwilling dropout, forced to withdraw from his Malawi high school when his parents could no longer afford tuition. As his village reeled from a crippling drought, William used his spare time and abundant energy to make a difference. Cobbling together scrap metal and spare parts from tractors and bicycles, William built a windmill and a water pump. Thanks to his efforts, his village now has a sustainable source of energy and running water. He was on the Daily Show last night talking about The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, the book he wrote with journalist Bryan Mealer about the experience.

William is a student at the African Leadership Academy, a Johannesburg high school educating the continent's most promising students. I visited ALA in April. (Stay tuned for my forthcoming story on ALA in Stanford Magazine.)  I'd heard William's remarkable story before my visit. At ALA, he is one of many other young leaders determined to change the course of Africa's future. There was the boy who created a classroom of computers from spare parts in Zimbabwe, the young female entrepreneur from Kenya who casually informed me that "Africa is the new China" of untapped potential. They are bursting with energy and ideas on how to change the world. William's windmills are just the start. Congratulations, William!  

Update: The story on ALA in Stanford Magazine is now up!
Posted on Thursday, Oct 8, 2009