William Kamkwamba
Born: August 5, 1987 (Kasungu, Malawi)
Known For: Inventing a functioning wind turbine from scrap materials at age 14 to provide electricity to his rural village.
Education: African Leadership Academy; Dartmouth College (B.A., Environmental Studies, 2014)
Early Life and the 2001 Famine
William Kamkwamba grew up in a farming family in the rural village of Wimbe, located in the Kasungu district of Malawi. His family, like most in the region, relied on agriculture—primarily growing maize—for both their income and survival.
In 2001, Malawi was struck by a devastating drought that resulted in a severe famine. The widespread crop failure left his family unable to afford the tuition fees for his schooling, forcing the 14-year-old Kamkwamba to drop out. Determined to continue his education, he began frequenting a small local library. Though he could not read English fluently at the time, his fascination with science led him to study the diagrams and illustrations in donated textbooks, particularly an 8th-grade American textbook titled Using Energy.
The Windmill Innovation
Inspired by a picture of a wind turbine on the cover of Using Energy, Kamkwamba realized that wind power could be used to generate electricity and pump water. Working without specialized tools or training, he began experimenting with a small model using a cheap dynamo.
To build a full-scale turbine, he scavenged materials from a local scrapyard. His primary components included:
- A broken bicycle frame and parts
- A tractor fan blade
- Shock absorbers
- Plastic pipes (which he melted and flattened into blades)
- Wood from local blue gum trees for a 16-foot (5-meter) tower.
Despite skepticism from his community, Kamkwamba successfully completed the turbine in 2001. The 12-volt output was initially enough to power four lightbulbs and two radios in his family’s home. Soon, neighbors began visiting his house to charge their cell phones. He later scaled up his design, building a 39-foot (12-meter) turbine and developing a solar-powered water pump that provided the first clean drinking water and agricultural irrigation system to his village.
Global Recognition and the Moving Windmills Project
Word of Kamkwamba’s ingenuity spread quickly. After local journalists reported on his spinning tower, international bloggers and news outlets picked up the story. The global attention allowed him to secure funding to return to school. He attended the African Leadership Academy in South Africa before transferring to Dartmouth College in the United States, where he graduated in 2014 with a degree in environmental studies.
In 2008, Kamkwamba co-founded the Moving Windmills Project. The non-profit organization focuses on bringing sustainable rural development to Malawian communities. The project has successfully funded the construction of low-cost water wells, solar-powered pumps, and community centers, while also providing educational materials and teaching young people how to build simple mechanical solutions for farming.
Published Works and Media
Kamkwamba’s experiences reached a massive global audience with the publication of his 2009 memoir, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, co-authored with journalist Bryan Mealer. The book became a New York Times bestseller and was translated into nearly 20 languages. In 2019, the memoir was adapted into a feature film of the same name, directed by and starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, which brought Kamkwamba’s story of resilience and engineering to an even wider audience.
Born
August 5, 1987
Born in Kasungu, Malawi.
First Wind Turbine
2001
Builds his first functioning wind turbine from scrap parts at age 14 after being forced to drop out of school due to famine.
TEDGlobal Fellow
2007
Invited to speak at the TEDGlobal conference in Tanzania, bringing international attention to his work.
Moving Windmills Project Founded
2008
Establishes a non-profit to bring clean water, solar power, and educational resources to rural Malawian communities.
Memoir Published
2009
Releases the best-selling autobiography The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind.
Dartmouth Graduation
2014
Graduates from Dartmouth College with a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies.