From Theory to Turbines: Our Windy Adventure in Malawi!

Dear readers, family, friends, distant relations, partners, and other interested visitors of this blog,

Get ready to join us on an incredible adventure! This summer is MALAWI TIME - a phrase we've been eagerly repeating all year long. Together with our partner, we will execute a project in Malawi to make a positive impact. From July 3rd to September 5th, we’ll be diving into the heart of this amazing country and embrace its rich culture. Stay tuned for a rollercoaster of experiences, insights, and stories that will hopefully inspire and entertain!

Our destination is the Green Malata Entrepreneurial Training Village, an inspiring place dedicated to equipping young adults with entrepreneurial skills. Here, students can enroll in a variety of courses such as carpentry, hairdressing, baking, welding, tailoring, and agriculture. 

So, what exactly will we be doing in Green Malata? No, we're not there to take a hairdressing course, though that does sound like fun! Instead, we're thrilled to be installing a small-scale wind turbine - 10 meters high with blades spanning 4 meters in diameter. Currently, the school is connected to the grid, but the power supply is highly unreliable. This extra wind energy could be a game-changer, particularly for lighting and charging mobile phones. The aim of the project is to successfully implement the system, but also to empower Green Malata to use their acquired expertise in future replication projects. 

Now, let us share some insights into our preparations for this upcoming adventure in Malawi. After a year of delving into literature, we finally got our hands dirty on April 13th. And what a day it was! Building a generator is a critical step in our process, so we decided to test our skills in Belgium. Armed with Hugh Piggott’s printed manuals and a lot of enthusiasm, we met up in Antwerp at Bram's workplace (he’s the CEO of the startup called From Waste to Wind). The day was full of surprises, starting with the fact that we had to use a cherry picker to reach Bram’s workspace. Who knew building a generator could come with such a thrilling entrance? We also discovered that the two manuals we were using had slightly different measurements - definitely something to note for Malawi haha! Although we didn’t finish the generator in one day (spoiler: it takes longer than a few hours), we had an absolute blast and learned a ton. We’ve planned a week in Malawi to complete it, so stay tuned to see if we succeed!

Overall, the hands-on experience was incredibly rewarding. Realizing that for the next two summer months, we would be actively building and creating every day instead of just reading, meeting, and writing reports was a true moment of joy. It’s safe to say we’re more than ready to trade our pens and laptops for tools and turbines!

Follow us on Instagram or via this blog for updates. We can’t wait to share more stories and updates with you!

Sending warm wishes,

Jesse, Lien, Lotte and Michiel