William Kamkwamba at 14 harness the wind to save his village in the East African country, Malawi from famine.
William had to leave school and drop out because his parents were unable to pay for his education because a drought had destroyed their crops.
Even after leaving school, he continued to learn and began expanding his knowledge by reading books at the nearby library.
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William stayed there the majority of his 14 years. He had little experience using computers, let alone using Google or other search engines to find information.
He did, however, read a lot of books, particularly in the science genre.
William once found an English book called “Using Energy” in a bookstore.
How he learnt to harness the wind
Because he did not speak English, he largely focused on the photos.
The windmill on the book’s cover served as an example of how wind energy may provide electricity.
The necessity for electricity and water in his village became apparent to William. As a result of the drought, farming was in serious trouble.
The water pump was absent. Even power was hard to get by; only 2% of the inhabitants had access to the convenience.
William discovered the straightforward concept of creating wind-powered electricity generators from his books.
Then he began to construct his first windmill out of repurposed materials, using them to use and harness the wind.
He used scrap to harness the wind
He made use of scrap timber from building projects, a tractor’s old mill and old bicycle wheels.
“People said I was crazy. They thought I was doing drugs. They crowded around me, curious about what I was making,” said William. “But once the windmill started spinning, kids cheered.”
Once the lights came on, the villagers were confused. “How could electricity come from the wind?” William recounted his story at TED-Talk.
The first windmill William built recharged his neighbor’s phone and powered four lamps. Then he constructed three more windmills.
William’s hamlet was able to experience the advantages of electricity as a result of his invention. His community has enough electricity to light up homes at night.
William began building larger windmills. Additionally, he created a solar-powered pump to irrigate the farms in the village.
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24-year old Congolese invents wooden treadmill
Meanwhile, at his workshop in Goma, Désiré Kabengela, a young Congolese invents a wooden treadmill after college.
The first treadmill of its kind in Africa that complies with international standards was recently created by this 24-year-old.
His most significant inventions are entirely constructed of wood.
