Do you know WILLIAM KAMKWAMBA? it is an example for African youth.

If you haven't seen the report on TV, here's a little article about this little Malawian genius

The boy who built windmills

William Kamkwamba, a Malawian teenager, dreamed of providing electricity and running water to his village. His chances of doing that seemed slim. The 14-year-old had to leave school because his parents could no longer pay his school fees. Unwavering, William continued to educate himself by visiting the local library. His life and that of his village Masitala changed the day he stumbled upon a picture of a windmill in a book. Determined to bring power to the family home in banco, he set out to make a turbine from spare parts of bicycles, a tractor fan blade and an old shock absorber, tinkering with blades with flattened plastic tubes in the flame. And soon after, neighbors lined up to charge their cell phones. William later installed a solar powered mechanical pump, bringing clean drinking water for the first time to his village. He then built a new windmill that activates a hydraulic pump that irrigates the family field.

William's remarkable story was the subject of a book called The Boy Who Bumped the Wind; he is celebrated by environmentalists and business leaders around the world. His ambition, he says, is to bring electricity not only to the rest of his village, but to all Malawians: only 2% have it today.

At 14, the young Malawian built a wind turbine in his famine-stricken village. The boy who tamed the wind, his autobiographical story, resonates as hope for African youth.

The story

Docile, William Kamkwamba, 22, lends himself to the game of interviews during a quick trip to Paris. “I wrote this book to share my experience. "A testimony as an example to" invite people to take charge and not waste time waiting for others to do it for them ". The tone is set. Calm and collected. Unpretentious but convincing.

His history ? That of an African child, born in 1987, in Malawi. He grew up in the village of Masitala, near Kasungu, with his parents and seven sisters. As a child, William spent his time taking apart the dynamo and the radio to "understand how things work." His dream is to study science.

In 2001, a terrible famine forced William to stop classes because of the tuition fees. He experiences “hunger” in his teenage years but does not give up his dream. For lack of class, he begins to frequent the library of the elementary school, his "refuge" and stumbles by chance on a manual talking about wind turbines. Very quickly, with a water pump system, he saw it as a solution to the drought and began to build one with salvage material.

The villagers take him for a madman. Despite the backbiting, William continues. His friends support him. His father lets him do it. “He suffered from not being able to pay for my studies. "

From odds and ends, the wind turbine takes shape and provides electricity to his family. A luxury because only 2% of the Malawian population has this privilege. William improves his setup and manages to charge the phone batteries. The news draws a line of people to the road! But not enough money to go back to school yet.

The story could have ended there without the intervention of the librarian. “She gave my name to those in charge of the library who were intrigued by the wind turbine. A professor then a journalist meet William. Its "electric wind" interests the media but also scientists. The Internet is responsible for talking about it across borders. The young man is invited to conferences. Travel to Tanzania, to the United States ... And resumes school thanks to donors.

William is aware of having "a promising future" but he keeps his head on his shoulders. In the village, now, he is considered as someone "normal." It's better than crazy! ". This year, he finished high school in Johannesburg before continuing his studies in the United States in mechanical engineering.

Then, he will return to his native country where access to education, a real bulwark "against corruption, AIDS ... should be a priority". There, he wants to put his knowledge into practice and "help others" while respecting the environment: "our life depends on it".