When he was a teenager living in a rural area in Malawi, William built a windmill which provided electricity for his families home. The windmill was made using spare parts and scraps that he found around his village. He got the idea by reading a book from his local library. He eventually made 3 windmills that provided electricity and also pumped water for electricity.
People were interested in what William had done, and they visited his village and wrote articles on the internet about it. More people became interested, and William eventually had an opportunity to give a talk to major thinker and innovators – his talks are still available at TedTalks.
William was able to deliver many more projects for his home and village, such as providing clean water and solar power. He eventually went to study in America, and is still involved in projects that are intended to help people in his country of Malawi.
William has written an autobiography about , and in March 2019 that book was turned into a film on Netflix called “The Boy who Harnessed The Wind”. That’s really cool!
What William did is really inspiring and really shows the importance of reading and trying things out for yourself. Find out more about William and his projects here.