The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind by Anson Roberts

Introduction

aroberts307 — 2025-03-13 14:15:04 UTC

William Kamkwamba is a teenager living in a hot, small, and dry village in the south of Walawi, Africa. His village struggles from hunger, dirty water, and the heatness through the year. William had many family and friends there to keep him entertained. He went to school, but later that would change

The Famine

aroberts307 — 2025-03-19 13:09:01 UTC

The village throughout the whole book has struggled with hunger, this one being the worst. A huge drought hits and forces William to drop out of school, that's where it all starts. The famine gets worse, and the Kamkwamba family struggles to find food. But they all end up being fine, but it was a big scare.

William's Discoveries

aroberts307 — 2025-03-19 13:22:34 UTC

Once dropping out of school, William decides to go to the library and start reading books. Determined to keep learning, he finds a book about wind energy. He starts collecting scraps like bike parts, wood, and wires to start his own windmill. After a bunch of trial and error, he gets his windmill up and strong. Now being a hero for his family, producing energy for all them to use. This coming from a kids imagination, shows a lot.

The Journalists

aroberts307 — 2025-03-20 00:50:20 UTC

In 2006, William’s homemade windmill began to attract attention from journalists, teachers and government officials who were amazed that a boy without formal education had managed to generate electricity using scrap materials. His story spread beyond his village, eventually reaching organizations that recognized his effort. Later, he was invited to speak at a TED conference in Tanzania, where he shared his journey of how he got here.

Present

aroberts307 — 2025-03-20 01:00:19 UTC

After being known around the world, William continued his education and eventually earned a place at Dartmouth College in the United States where he learned a bunch more in engineering and renewable energy. Wanting to give back to his community, he began working on solar and wind-powered energy projects in Malawi, helping to bring electricity and clean water to villages like his.

As his story continued to inspire people around the world, he became a global speaker, sharing his experiences to keep people in school. In 2019, his life was adapted into a Netflix film, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. Now becoming a global star, and a reason why you should be determined.