Teaching and Research Guide for: "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind"

In 2002, a 14 year old from Malawi became known throughout his country for teaching himself how to build a windmill from books he read in a community library. A few years later, in 2006, he became known world-wide after the Daily Times of Malawi published an article about William. Here is the article: 

“School dropout with a streak genius” by Sangwani Mwafulirwa, Daily Times, Malawi. Nov. 20, 2006

Many stereotypes exist about Africa. Literature, film and the media often portray only certain aspects of the continent- of the land itself, the people and even the wildlife. As a result, people are often told only part of the story or sometimes get it wrong altogether!

William’s book and many of the videos linked here in this guide will give you the rare opportunity to hear first-hand as William and other Malawians share their own perspectives as they speak about their lives, the challenges they face and how they work to overcome them.