The Many Windmills of William

The story of William Kamkwamba, the young man who built a windmill at age 14 to power his home in rural Malawi - is an all-time winner for its motivational and inspirational value.

William’s story made the editor’s pick on AfricanLoft back in June, and the fame of the 20 year old has been spreading since his summer debut at the TEDglobal conference in Arusha. The Wall Street Journal Online just did a profile on William and his windmills, excerpt:

“On a continent woefully short of electricity, 20-year-old William Kamkwamba has a dream: to power up his country one windmill at a time. So far, he has built three windmills in his yard here, using blue-gum trees and bicycle parts. His tallest, at 39 feet, towers over this windswept village, clattering away as it powers his family’s few electrical appliances: 10 six-watt light bulbs, a TV set and a radio. The machine draws in visitors from miles around.”

There are several clones of Williams locked within the African hinterland and who most likely will die uncelebrated and unliberated, what they need is a system similar to what brought William out of obscurity.

Watch the William’s story: