Building a windmill

dropdown William KamKWamba lives in Malawi, Africa, where most people have to grow their own food and have no electricity or running water. Only two percent of Malawians can afford electricity. With no electricity or running water, life is difficult. In 2001, when William was 14 years old, life in Malawi became even more difficult. There was a severe drought and most families, including William’s, couldn’t grow enough food. dropdown So one day William went to the library near his home. He wanted to continue his education. William found a science book called Using Energy. It included instructions for building a windmill. Windmills can be very efficient sources of electricity, and they can bring water up from underground. William didn’t know much English, and he wasn’t able to understand most of the book, but it was full of pictures and diagrams. Looking at the pictures, William thought he could build a windmill for his family. dropdown When William went home and started building his windmill, a lot of people laughed at him, including his mother. They didn’t think he could do it, but William was confident. He saw the photo of the windmill in the book. That meant someone else was able to build it, so he knew he could build it, too. dropdown William was also creative. He didn’t have the parts and equipment that he saw in the book’s illustrations, and he couldn’t buy them. So he looked for parts in junkyards. William changed and improved his design little by little. First, the windmill powered only one lightbulb. Eventually, it powered four lights. Then there was enough electricity for four lights and a radio.