Blowing in the Wind

William Kamkwamba grew up in Malawi, a country in Africa. Almost everyone in his village farmed for food. Hardly anyone had electricity. When William was 14, a drought struck Malawi. Without rain, food crops died. Families struggled to survive. William had to quit school. His family could not afford to pay the fee. But William did not let that problem keep him from learning. He read books at a free library. He learned how windmills harness wind power. Soon, William envisioned a solution to the drought. He would build a windmill to generate electricity. With electricity, farmers could pump water from wells. However, William had no money for materials. He solved that problem by building his windmill out of garbage. It worked! William's windmill made him famous. Soon, he returned to high school. Then, he went on to college. After college, William returned to his village. He built a better windmill. Today, he works on new innovations!