He built his windmill from bits of his dad's old bicycle.

stukje / onderdeel

The villagers use the electricity to charge their mobiles.

een mobieltje opladen

With the rain came cholera and some of the villagers died of the disease.

cholera

William has co-authored a book with another writer.

coauteur

When William said he would make a windmill, people thought he was crazy.

gek

There wasn't any rain, so their crops didn't grow and they couldn't make bread.

gewas

William didn't go to school, so he tried to educate himself.

scholen

The farmers grow crops for food and keep cows for milk and meat.

boer

You have to pay a fee of £50 to go to school.

leergeld / collegegeld

He built a windmill to generate electricity for his village.

opwekken / voortbrengen

He made a small test windmill and then went ahead with a big one.

doorgaan met

Has he gone back to school?

teruggaan

Their small stock of food went down and down until there was almost nothing to eat.

voedsel

If something goes on, it continues.

doorgaan

If something goes up, it rises or increases.

toenemen

It's a home-made windmill – he built it himself.

zelfgemaakt

It's too soon to answer that question – it's early days.

Het is nog vroeg dag / pril

He said that he was a student at the African Leadership Academy in South Africa.

bestuur / leiderschap

The media – newspapers, television and radio – are all interested in William's story.

media

The media interest has been phenomenal.

overweldigend / fenomenaal

His family could have electric light and could pump water.

pompen

William was only fourteen years old but he didn't go to secondary school.

middelbare school

William's family didn't have enough food, so his dog died of starvation.

verhongering

Their small stock of food got smaller and smaller.

voorraad

There was no food in the village and some of the villagers died.

dorpeling

The windmill moves around in the wind and generates electricity.

windmolen