-The first Windmill.-"I went to sleep dreaming of Malawi, and all the things made possible when your dreams are powered by your heart."- William Kamkwamba
William Kamkwamba the author of the book "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind:Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope" says that if you have your mind set, and if you are willing to believe,persist and put in the commitment then nothing is an improbable task. It is said that it is what you do not what you say that makes you who you are. Kamkwamba endured the hardships of poverty that were inflicted on him and his family that lived in a small village in Malawi. His school required an annual fee that was equivalent to eighty U.S dollars, and with only one meal a day his lack of nutrition and immunity forced him to abandon school and his education. But it didn't stop there. Determined to acquire a proper education and his will to assist others motivated him to keep on pushing and trying. He religiously visited a public library and discovered his fascination of science and inventing. He was captivated by the images and diagrams that he did what he could to learn and learn despite his difficulty with reading. Then his passion inspired hope. He miraculously composed a windmill out of nothing but Blue gum trees, bicycle parts and other miscellaneous materials he gathered at a local scrapyard. After this success and huge triumph which had an immense impact on his family, he kept pursuing his dreams and later created a solar powered water pump that provides the first drinking water in his village and has created two additional windmills. His dreams were powered by his heart- his passion for inventing brought hope to his family, his village and now an entire nation. To be ambitious is to have that blazing desire to obtain success and to achieve your goal. I believe ambition was the one,special quality William Kamkwamba possessed. He embarked on something grand, he aimed for the impossible, yet he was ambitious - he had the quality which drives one to excel. Kamkwamba showed us how ambition can inflict incredible change. We cannot direct the wind yet we are the choices we make, we adjust the sails to see where the wind takes us. I believe ambition is something significant in life, if you choose to be ambitious then I believe you will excel and the wind will push you beyond the depths of the mightiest of seas. I believe ambition is worth fighting for.
Before Kamkwamba discovered the wonders of science he was just an ordinary child who worked in a country full of poor farmers. However, in 2001 Malawi was struck with incredible misfortune as they experienced an abysmal famine. Food shortages and scarcity led to a domino effect of starvation, BBC news claimed that 25% of all children under the age of 5 were severely malnourished and within five months Malawians began to starve to death. Due to limited money and meager food with only one meal a day Kamkwamba was forced to drop out of his school and completely abandon his education. However, he was determined to keep pushing on to learn and learn and to be educated. So he visited a charity sponsored library regularly where he discovered a profound interest in science, especially Physics. He could not read very well yet he was so intrigued by the diagrams and pictures that he observed them closely and learned and learned. There were so many obstacles hindering him in his path of success yet he conquered them one by one with ambition. He had such a strong desire to achieve things such as an education in such a poor country where he would barely get any food that he did not give up and in the end he achieved his goal. These actions performed by Kamkwamba demonstrates the prominence of ambition because it drove him to excel and achieve something great such as education that most people would consider impossible based on his background and all the hardships that were endured by him and his family especially during Malawi's most difficult time.
It wasn't long before an idea sparked into William Kamkwamba's head. An idea which many would consider impossible or a "futile attempt." Even his own mother said that he was crazy. Yet he did not let go of his dream and his ambition, to invent and to create. After religiously visiting that small, Charity sponsored library and after being captivated in the world of science, and after watching his family struggle he decided to act. His village of approximately 60 families there was no electricity and no running and filtered water. One day he found a book entitled "Using Energy" which included some Windmills on the cover and in the inside of the book described the function of the Windmill and how they are created. William acknowledged that his village suffered countless problems due to no water and electricity and he also acknowledged that his his village often became very windy. So after this realization dawned on him he at the age of fourteen decided to create a windmill to succor and possibly rescue his village. He visited a local scrapyard and collected random items using his creativity such as a tractor fan, shock absorber, bicycle frame, PVC frame, PVC blades (after melting) and a bicycle generator. And then the boy who dropped out of school and who barely got a meal a day fulfilled his dream and created the machine. With the assistance of the Windmill came the first light. Then four lights with switches and then even a circuit breaker. Ambition is what helped William to conquer those obstacles and it impacted his family immensely. This miraculous invention of the Windmill exemplifies that if you are ambitious you will excel and you will achieve your goal and fulfill your dreams no matter how far- fetched they may seem.
William's invention first saved his family and after a while people who passed by his machine which was situated in the middle of land where there was no electricity caused them to to marvel at the creation. One day, William woke up to see cues and cues of people lined up to charge their mobile phones. He was overwhelmed with joy to see how not only did he accomplish his aim but now he could also help others. However, the poor, African boy who once suffered tremendously was determined to use his talent and his ambition to rescue others who were trapped in that inevitability. After his first glorious success, he created a water pump that supplied water for irrigation which was vital to all the poor, Malawian farmers around him and this water pump also saved so many people because it supplied the first ever drinking water in his village. His work caught the attention of journalists and reporters, which led to bloggers and then finally a call from something called TED where he could share his story, his aspiration with the entire world. He later even became an author of a best selling book. This shows how ambition brings change and allows you to accomplish the impossible and William has inspired many others such as me to pursue your dreams no matter what.
We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails. William could have been like a regular person who would have just carried on with life he could have just let the wind guide him. But no. We choose our path in life. However the choices we make don't always end up the way we want them to. Commitment and diligence is necessary. To choose to educate yourself and to pursue your dreams when you are a poor African boy who was forced to drop out of school due to poverty and hunger seems absurd. Yet, when you are ambitious and when you have that one desire to achieve, that desire that is so strong your dreams will come true. Kamkwamba's windmill still stands in his village, symbolic of his choice to be tenacious and to never give up. Without the windmill ever being there the wind would just keep pushing him in the same direction as everyone else who did not adjust the sails. But he did. The wind pushes against it's panels and creates currents of electricity and hope. His ambition drove him to excel and accomplish something which appears to be impossible. Never let go of your dreams. For if you have ambition and if you strive for them you will achieve them. Therefore, ambition is something worth fighting for.
"I tried and I made it. So I would like to say something to all the people out there, like me. To the Africans and the poor who are struggling with your dreams. God Bless. Maybe one day you will watch this on the internet. Trust yourself and believe, whatever happens never give up."
-William Kamkwamba
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