William Kamkwamba

William Kamkwamba was born in rural Malawi in 1987 and worked on his parents’ farm for much of his childhood. When the 2000-2002 famines hit Malawi, Kamkwamba channeled his scientific mind into creating a wind turbine to give his family’s home electricity. Kamkwamba succeeded in “harnessing the wind” in 2002, gaining the notice of a few Malawian academic professors and American reporters who shared Kamkwamba’s story. In 2007, Kamkwamba was chosen as a presenter for TEDGlobal where he met many like-minded individuals from Africa and the United States. Kamkwamba then attended the African Bible College Christian Academy, the African Leadership Academy, and continued to speak about his experiences building the windmill across the United States. Kamkwamba has received numerous awards and grants to further the beneficial work that his engineering and inventions have accomplished in rural Malawi. Kamkwamba graduated from Dartmouth College in 2014 and now works with his wife, Olivia, to bring education and innovation to the new generation of Malawians. Kamkwamba’s co-author Bryan Mealer grew up in Odessa and San Antonio, Texas. He attended the University of Texas at Austin and began working as a journalist. Mealer moved to Africa as a freelance reporter and covered the war in the Democratic Republic of Congo for the Associated Press and Harper’s Magazine. While living in Africa, Mealer met Kamkwamba and became interested in sharing his life story, which became a New York Times bestseller. Mealer has also written Muck City, All Things Must Fight to Live (detailing his experiences in the Democratic Republic of Congo), and a planned fourth book about his family’s history in the Texas oil industry. Mealer and his family now live in Texas.