William Kamkwamba
Encyclopedia
William Kamkwamba is a Malawi
an inventor and author. He gained fame in his country when, in 2002, he built a windmill
to power a few electrical appliances in his family's house in Masitala using blue gum trees
, bicycle parts, and materials collected in a local scrapyard. Since then, he has built a solar-powered water pump
that supplies the first drinking water
in his village and two other windmills (the tallest standing at 39 feet) and is planning two more, including one in Lilongwe
, the political capital of Malawi.
80), he took up self-education by going to his village's library. There, he found the book Using Energy and in it discovered a picture and explanation of windmills. He then decided to try to create the windmills he read about. After a few attempts, he was able to build a working model.
His story is told in The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope, written with journalist Bryan Mealer and published in 2009. Kamkwamba took part in the first event celebrating his particular type of ingenuity called Maker Faire Africa
, in Ghana
in August 2009.
Kamkwamba is one of four recipients of the 2010 GO Ingenuity Award, a prize awarded by the Santa Monica
–based nonprofit GO Campaign
to inventors, artists, and makers to promote the sharing of their innovations and skills with marginalized youth in developing nations. With the grant, Kamkwamba will hold workshops for youth in his home village, teaching them how to make windmills and repair water pumps, both of which proved to be transformative skills for this young African leader.
He is currently studying at Dartmouth College
.
in Blantyre
, the commercial capital, wrote a story on Kamkwamba's windmills in November 2006, the story circulated through the blogosphere
, and TED
conference director Emeka Okafor invited Kamkwamba to speak at TEDGlobal 2007 in Arusha
, Tanzania
as a guest. His speech moved the audience, and several venture capitalists at the conference pledged to help finance his secondary education. His story was covered by Sarah Childress for The Wall Street Journal
. He became a student at African Bible College Christian Academy in Lilongwe, but now attends Dartmouth College
in Hanover, New Hampshire
. Among other appearances, Kamkwamba was interviewed on The Daily Show
on 7 October 2009 (during which he was playfully compared to the fictional hero, Angus MacGyver
, for his impressive scientific ingenuity). and by social news website Reddit
. In addition, he was invited and attended the 2011 Google Science Fair
introductory meeting, where he was a guest speaker.
Malawi
The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Its size...
an inventor and author. He gained fame in his country when, in 2002, he built a windmill
Windmill
A windmill is a machine which converts the energy of wind into rotational energy by means of vanes called sails or blades. Originally windmills were developed for milling grain for food production. In the course of history the windmill was adapted to many other industrial uses. An important...
to power a few electrical appliances in his family's house in Masitala using blue gum trees
Eucalyptus globulus
The Tasmanian Blue Gum, Southern Blue Gum or Blue Gum, is an evergreen tree, one of the most widely cultivated trees native to Australia. They typically grow from 30 to 55 m tall. The tallest currently known specimen in Tasmania is 90.7 m tall...
, bicycle parts, and materials collected in a local scrapyard. Since then, he has built a solar-powered water pump
Water Pump
Water Pump is one of the neighbourhoods of Gulberg Town in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. It is near main Water Pump that supplies fresh water to the city of Karachi....
that supplies the first drinking water
Drinking water
Drinking water or potable water is water pure enough to be consumed or used with low risk of immediate or long term harm. In most developed countries, the water supplied to households, commerce and industry is all of drinking water standard, even though only a very small proportion is actually...
in his village and two other windmills (the tallest standing at 39 feet) and is planning two more, including one in Lilongwe
Lilongwe
Lilongwe, estimated population 902,388 as of 2009, is the capital and largest city of Malawi. It lies in the country's central region, on the Lilongwe River, near the border of Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia, and on the main north-south highway of Malawi, the M1.-History:The city started life as a...
, the political capital of Malawi.
Life and career
After being forced to drop out of school due to his family not being able to afford the tuition (~US$United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
80), he took up self-education by going to his village's library. There, he found the book Using Energy and in it discovered a picture and explanation of windmills. He then decided to try to create the windmills he read about. After a few attempts, he was able to build a working model.
His story is told in The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope, written with journalist Bryan Mealer and published in 2009. Kamkwamba took part in the first event celebrating his particular type of ingenuity called Maker Faire Africa
Maker Faire Africa
Maker Faire Africa is a international organization founded by Mark Grimes along with Emeka Okafor ,Lars Hassleblad Torress , Erik Hersman and Nii Simmonds...
, in Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
in August 2009.
Kamkwamba is one of four recipients of the 2010 GO Ingenuity Award, a prize awarded by the Santa Monica
Santa Mônica
Santa Mônica is a town and municipality in the state of Paraná in the Southern Region of Brazil.-References:...
–based nonprofit GO Campaign
GO Campaign
GO Campaign is a national nonprofit organization based in Santa Monica, California that raises awareness and funds to help orphans and vulnerable children throughout the developing world. The organization supports projects at the grassroots level that bring direct relief to children in need of...
to inventors, artists, and makers to promote the sharing of their innovations and skills with marginalized youth in developing nations. With the grant, Kamkwamba will hold workshops for youth in his home village, teaching them how to make windmills and repair water pumps, both of which proved to be transformative skills for this young African leader.
He is currently studying at Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
.
International fame
When The Daily TimesThe Daily Times (Malawi)
The Daily Times is a daily newspaper published in Blantyre, Malawi. It is the oldest newspaper in the country, founded as the monthly Central African Planter in 1895. Around 1900 the title Central African Times was adopted, and weekly publication. Later the title was changed again, to Nyasaland Times...
in Blantyre
Blantyre, Malawi
Blantyre or Mandala is Malawi's centre of finance and commerce, the largest city with an estimated 732,518 inhabitants . It is sometimes referred to as the commercial capital of Malawi as opposed to the political capital, Lilongwe...
, the commercial capital, wrote a story on Kamkwamba's windmills in November 2006, the story circulated through the blogosphere
Blogosphere
The blogosphere is made up of all blogs and their interconnections. The term implies that blogs exist together as a connected community or as a social network in which everyday authors can publish their opinions...
, and TED
TED (conference)
TED is a global set of conferences owned by the private non-profit Sapling Foundation, formed to disseminate "ideas worth spreading"....
conference director Emeka Okafor invited Kamkwamba to speak at TEDGlobal 2007 in Arusha
Arusha
Arusha is a city in northern Tanzania. It is the capital of the Arusha Region, which claims a population of 1,288,088, including 281,608 for the Arusha District . Arusha is surrounded by some of Africa's most famous landscapes and national parks...
, Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
as a guest. His speech moved the audience, and several venture capitalists at the conference pledged to help finance his secondary education. His story was covered by Sarah Childress for The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
. He became a student at African Bible College Christian Academy in Lilongwe, but now attends Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
in Hanover, New Hampshire
Hanover, New Hampshire
Hanover is a town along the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 11,260 at the 2010 census. CNN and Money magazine rated Hanover the sixth best place to live in America in 2011, and the second best in 2007....
. Among other appearances, Kamkwamba was interviewed on The Daily Show
The Daily Show
The Daily Show , is an American late night satirical television program airing each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central. The half-hour long show premiered on July 21, 1996, and was hosted by Craig Kilborn until December 1998...
on 7 October 2009 (during which he was playfully compared to the fictional hero, Angus MacGyver
Angus MacGyver
Angus MacGyver, known as just MacGyver or Mac until the final season of the American spy television series MacGyver, is the highly intelligent, optimistic action hero played by Richard Dean Anderson. He prefers non-violent conflict resolution wherever possible and refuses to carry or use a gun...
, for his impressive scientific ingenuity). and by social news website Reddit
Reddit
reddit is a social news website where the registered users submit content, in the form of either a link or a text "self" post. Other users then vote the submission "up" or "down," which is used to rank the post and determine its position on the site's pages and front page.Reddit was originally...
. In addition, he was invited and attended the 2011 Google Science Fair
Google Science Fair
The Google Science Fair is an online science competition sponsored by Google, Lego, CERN, National Geographic and Scientific American. It was announced in January 2011; all entries were due at 11:59:59 pm Eastern Daylight Time on April 7, 2011 and judging occurred in July 2011...
introductory meeting, where he was a guest speaker.