Not Just Watching the Wheel Go Round and Round

Dear Fundraising Friend:

Normally, I would chat about a great cause that follows me today. But I think it’s time I spoke again about an ordinary person William Kamkwamba whose doing extraordinary things instead (If you missed it, read about the last person here).

William is a born inventor. At 14, he built an electricity-producing windmill from spare parts and scrap working from sketches he discovered in a library book. That windmill powers four lights and two radios in his family home.

TEDGlobal Conference Director Emeka Okafor learned about William from a blog and spent several weeks tracking him down at his home in Masitala Village, Wimbe, and invited him to attend TEDGlobal on a fellowship. Please take the time and listen to William talk about his dream.

Following William’s moving talk, there was an outpouring of support for him and his vision. The TED community got together and helped him improve his power system (by incorporating solar energy). The community also further educated him through school and mentorship. Subsequent projects have included clean water, malaria prevention, solar power and lighting for the six homes in his family compound; a deep-water well with a solar-powered pump for clean water; and a drip irrigation system.

You can learn more about William’s story in his autobiography, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope. There’s also a short documentary about him, called Moving Windmills, which won several awards last year.

Also, I encourage you to continue following his amazing journey on his blog and support his work and the other young inventors at MovingWindmills.org.

I hope William’s story can serve as inspiration for all those “ordinary” people who are fans and friends of mine on Twitter to act on those “extraordinary” dreams they have.

Excelsior!