Summer 2015 Community Read
This summer
SSFS parents and friends are invited to join
LS, MS, and US students, faculty and staff in reading
The Boy
Who Harnessed the Wind
We hope it will
inspire great conversations at home and throughout the coming school year
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William Kamkwamba’s
story is one of persistence: one young person’s determination to educate
himself, to better understand the world around him, and to improve that world
for himself, his family, and his community.
Living
through the drought and famine as a fourteen-year-old in 2005 Malawi, and forced
to drop out of school for lack of funds, William decided to continue his
education on his own. Inspired by a
textbook picture found in a small NGO library, he taught himself to harness
magetsi a mphepo – “electric wind.” He utilized discarded materials from a local scrap
yard and built a windmill to power lights and another to pump water.
Published in three editions – picture book, middle reader, and the original adult memoir – the story of this creative and determined self-learner is accessible to every member of our community, and can open up conversations across age, experience, and cultural diversity.
Want to know more?
Check out these links:
Why a Community Read?
How I built a windmill: William
Kamkwamba's 2007 Ted Talk
How I Harnessed the Wind: William
Kamkwamba's 2009 Ted Talk
William Kamkwamba’s Blog
Moving Windmills Foundation
A few community members
have brought forward members of their personal networks as potential speakers
or leaders for book-centered activities next year. We’d welcome your ideas too – feel free to
email johanna.cowie@ssfs.org throughout the summer.
