At Philanthropic we’re all about innovation, so we want to highlight some great examples of innovation in action – providing a mixture of historical examples and those of our partners. First up we have William Kamkwamba:
At just 14, William Kamkwamba defied famine and poverty in Malawi by building a wind turbine (shown above) from scrap metal, bicycle parts, and tree branches—powering his family’s home and inspiring a nation. Unable to afford school, he taught himself physics from a library book and turned knowledge into action. His story, told in ‘The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind’, became a bestselling memoir and a Netflix film, but his impact didn’t stop there.
Today, William leads the Moving Windmills Project, mentoring young innovators and developing sustainable solutions in energy, farming, and education across Malawi.
William’s story may be at the extreme end of the scale – not every start up will have to literally resort to using old bike parts or rummaging through a scrapheap to make their project a success – but most start-ups will metaphorically have to do something similar. How many William’s out there never quite made it? That’s why William Kamkwamba is the perfect first example for our #InnovationStories.
If you’re the next William – or you want to help the next William make their project a success donate or contact us today!