wind socks
the boy who harnessed the wind creating currents of electricity and hope
p william kamkwamba was born in malawi a country where magic ruled and modern science was mystery . it was also a land withered by drought and hunger and a place where hope and opportunity were hard to find . but william had read about windmills in a book called using energy and he dreamed of building one that would bring electricity and water to his village and change his life and the lives of those around him . his neighbors may have mocked him and called him misala crazy but william was determined to show them what a little grit and ingenuity could do . p enchanted by the workings of electricity as a boy william had a goal to study science in malawis top boarding schools . but in 2002 his country was stricken with a famine that left his familys farm devastated and his parents destitute . unable to pay the eighty dollar a year tuition for his education william was forced to drop out and help his family forage for food as thousands across the country starved and died . p yet william refused to let go of his dreams . with nothing more than a fistful of cornmeal in his stomach a small pile of once forgotten science textbooks and an armory of curiosity and determination he embarked on a daring plan to bring his family a set of luxuries that only two percent of malawians could afford and what the west considers a necessity electricity and running water . using scrap metal tractor parts and bicycle halves william forged a crude yet operable windmill an unlikely contraption and small miracle that eventually powered four lights complete with homemade switches and a circuit breaker made from nails and wire . a second machine turned a water pump that could battle the drought and famine that loomed with every season . p soon news of williams magetsi a mphepo his electric wind spread beyond the borders of his home and the boy who was once called crazy became an inspiration to those around the world . p here is the remarkable story about human inventiveness and its power to overcome crippling adversity . the boy who harnessed the wind will inspire anyone who doubts the power of one individuals ability to change his community and better the lives of those around him . p