On Tuesday this week, Penguin’s Dial press published an inspiring new children’s book, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba.
Already this beautifully illustrated story has been read more than 7,000 times at wegivebooks.org.
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind shares with young readers William’s remarkable story and desire to learn—a desire that empowered him to harness the power of the wind to produce electricity and bring lifesaving water to his drought-ravaged village in Malawi.
In addition to making his story available to young readers, a new We Give Books reading campaign is helping other Malawian children follow in William's footsteps. For each book read online, We Give Books will donate a physical book to one of the schools and libraries being built to support early childhood development through William’s own nonprofit initiative, the Moving Windmill’s project.
This is just the sort of effort We Give Books was designed to support: A great story, and a great non-profit—in this case both the work of a remarkable young man.
You can read the book online, see a video, and support the Moving Windmill’s Campaign right now.
When you’re done, I hope you’ll learn more about William in his own words by visiting his blog. You can also read an interview with the book's illustrator, Elizabeth Zunon, on today's TEDBlog.
I think what I like best about the Pearson Foundation is that it is teacher and student centric. Seeing as how the teacher and the student are the two most important people in any education-related equation, it is always so refreshing to learn of your programs and what a transformative difference they make in so many people’s lives. The programs I’ve personally benefitted from were 1) the play that you supported, staged by a group of children from a down-on-its luck school in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, post-Katrina. Bringing those kids to DC and performing at the historic Lincoln Theatre was the experience of a lifetime for everyone involved. 2) is the small community center in rural western South Carolina managed by Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. These nuns work with the poorest of the poor, helping them to get back on their feet, in part with a vibrant GED program. Pearson Foundation has given – and is giving – books to this center, and in the process is literally helping to change lives. Learning is key and Pearson Foundation has a master set that fits so very many different doors, whether it’s in the U.S. or overseas. Learning is learning, and when you say your mission is to support learning, literacy and great teaching, your actions speak even louder than your words. Thank you!
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