Today, as I was browsing BBC (my news site of choice), I came across an article on a young man from Malawi who had built a electric windmill that was powering his village from junk salvaged from dumps. He came from an impoverished family who'd had to pull him from school because they couldn't afford the fees anymore, but he continued to read and learn, and brought electricity and a way to get potable water to his village.Read the full article here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8257153.stm
This is, in my opinion, EXACTLY the kind of thing that needs to happen in Africa. The food and water handouts only work in the short term. We need to enable them to learn and innovate, and make their villages and countries better by their own work. Mr. Kamkwamba is only one of many young Africans who have the potential to make a huge difference in the welfare of every African.
"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you will feed him for a lifetime."
- Lao Tzu
(Image courtesy of BBC.com)
