I don't know whether any windmills have been seen in Malawi prior to Mr. Kamkwamba's. The salient points are that a young man found a passion and that against odds and economics he acquired the education for which he yearned. That education allowed him to understand the basic operating principles of windmills; his resourcefulness and creativity enabled him to find substitute and make-shift parts; his tenacity and courage triumphed as he built the thing(s) and figured out how to put them to practical use.

It's not a forgone conclusion that someone can build a thing they see in a book. Anyone who has done significant projects at home or work knows well that things seldom work as fluidly as the book makes them appear - there's often debugging, rethinking, reworking, etc. Many people can't do projects when provided with a kit with all the parts and telling them what they have to do at every step.

Every MS and HS student in the US should study this kid's example. I'm not sure what they do for education in other countries, but I have to believe it would be worthwhile for their students as well.