# William Kamkwamba to give IFC 2019 opening keynote

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2019/07/23/william-kamkwamba-to-give-ifc-2019-opening-keynote/
- Published: 2019-07-23T11:13:29+01:00
- Author: Melanie May

**William Kamkwamba, also known as ‘The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind’, is to give 
the opening keynote speech at this year’s IFC event in the Netherlands.**

Taking place from 15-18 October, the theme of this year’s [IFC 2019](https://resource-alliance.org/events/ifc/)
is ‘Time for Action’. 1,000 people are expected to attend, to hear from than 100
speakers representing more than 60 countries, on everything from fundraising, ethics,
and social enterprise, to corporate partnerships, leadership and strategy, digital
marketing, and financial innovation.

Kamkwamba’s life-changing story has garnered 2.2 million TED views and launched 
a new Netflix film starring Chiwetel Ejiofor. At the age of 14, Kamkwamba begin 
a journey of self-taught exploration that created a better life for his family and
community. It started with building a windmill to power his family’s home, which
led to other projects that focused on malaria prevention, solar power, clean water,
a drip irrigation system, and uniforms for his village team, Wimbe United.

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After opening with Kamkwamba, IFC 2019 will close with a trio of young activists
who, though facing different sets of circumstances, shared the desire to take action
themselves to support the changes they want to see in the world:

 * **Srishti Bakshi** left her marketing career to embark on a 2,300-mile walk across
   India to educate people in local communities on gender-based violence and inequality.
 * **Elvis Eze** is an emergency medicine physician dedicated to ending malaria.
 * After losing her family in Super Typhoon Haiyan, **Joanna Sustento** travelled
   the world to highlight the impact of climate change.

Laura Boulton, Head of Strategy and Reach at event curator Resource Alliance said:

> “We know this year’s IFC will be the boldest, most challenging and inspiring yet.
> We cannot wait to inspire and be inspired by the energy, dedication and action
> IFC 2019 will create.”

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