William's ascent

[caption id="attachment_285" align="alignleft" width="324" caption="William Kamkwamba on Good Morning America"]William Kamkwamba on Good Morning America[/caption]
All things are possible when your dreams are powered from the heart. -William Kamkwamba


William Kamkwamba, whom I first blogged about three years ago continues his amazing ascent. Where there was nothing but a drought laden field he built a tower of scrap wood, climbed it and built a windmill out of flatten plastic pipe and wire he wound himself. He climbed the stage at TED and has inspired thousands. As an adult, he went back to school and climbed the learning curve of academia despite a rudimentary village education. This morning he was beamed around the world as he was interviewed on Good Morning America. His book, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind comes out tomorrow, when he will begin to climb the best sellers lists. I can't wait to read it. I am even part of it! I am mentioned five times according to Amazon's Search Inside. How cool is this:

One of Soyapi's bosses, a tall American named Mike McKay, liked the article about my windmill so much that he wrote about me on his blog, Hacktivate.


Thanks for mentioning me William - and congratulations!!!

4 Response to William's ascent

  1. [...] Mike McKay – Though he no longer stays in Malawi, I still consider him as one of us. He contributed a lot to the development of the Malawi blogosphere while he was working for Baobab Health Partnership. In his most recent post, he writes about William Kamkwamba’s amazing ascent. [...]

  2. Змий says:
    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
  3. Ventego says:

    I really like your blog and i respect your work. I'll be a frequent visitor.

  4. Zach Brutsche says:

    Mike,
    Thanks for writing about William those few years ago! If not for the international attention he received, who knows how many windmills he would have been able to build?

    I just finished an advance copy of his book, and it is truly inspiring; the man is poised to be one of the World's great minds. The matter-of-fact way in which he describes growing up, through relative good fortune, then famine and governmental betrayal, and the scorn of all peers, except his closest friend, is at once delightful, heartrending, and uplifting.

    While it is clear to me that William Kamkwamba would never have stopped learning, it is also clear that his advancement would not be nearly as substantial if a few influential voices, yours included, had not been raised.

    He did all of the work, but your community gave him the recognition that was so richly deserved, and the possibility of greater assistance that is so very needed.

    My hat's off to you, and your readers, for not letting a little regional story go unnoticed by the sadly under-informed masses.

    Thank You!
    Zach Brutsche,
    Sedona, AZ, USA

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