The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

I just came across a truly inspiring story. It's the story of William Kamkwamba from Malawi, Africa. When William was 14 years old, he went to his rural school library (pictured above) and stumbled upon a book entitled, "Using Energy." He was intrigued with the information found in the book and used it (along with scrap pieces of metal and plastic) to create a windmill capable of generating electricity. Since only 2 percent of the people in his village had electricity, this was a very big deal. And he was only 14 years old! Watch this short video clip to learn more about this fascinating story:



William is now 21 years old and has written a book entitled, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (co-written with Bryan Mealer.) In it he describes the process of creating the windmills (he has built more than one over the years) and the effect it has had on his life and the lives of those in the small village in Africa where he is from.

When I hear stories like this, I can't help but feel proud to work in a library- a place where so much information and inspiration exists. The truly amazing part is when someone takes something found within the library to create something larger than themselves... something that transforms not only themselves but those around them for the better.