In 2002, at the age of 14, William Kamkwamba, a boy from Wimbe in Kasungu built a wind turbine to power a few electrical appliances in his family’s house. Kamkwamba built the turbine using blue gum trees, bicycle parts, and materials collected in a local scrap yard. Thereafter, Kamkwamba built a solar-powered water pump that supplies the first drinking water in his village and two other wind turbines. Kamkwamba later gained international fame across the world as ‘The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind’. But 14 years down the line Malawi have failed to take the inventions of one of her own children, Kamkwamba, to the next level. Today, only seven percent of the estimated 18 million population has access to power despite the country having plenty of strong winds. Read more
Source: The Daily Times