While most people in the developed world take electricity for granted, there are nearly a billion people in the world living without it, according to the World Bank.
In March, Umatilla Electric Cooperative Lineman Agent Travis Deming and Journeyman Lineman Matt Ellis will join others from across Oregon on a trip to electrify a Guatemalan village.
Working with Oregon Empowers and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s (NRECA) philanthropic arm, NRECA International, the team will design and install an electrification system to improve education, health care, safety, and economic opportunity for the region.
According to its website, Oregon Empowers helps communities use the cooperative model to build lasting connections, gain a more effective voice in their cooperative and, in turn, build stronger economies.
The effort to bring electrification to the Guatemalan village is a joint project coordinated by Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative (OTEC) and the Oregon Rural Electric Cooperative Association.
While in Guatemala, the volunteer line workers intend to wire the village and install multiple large transformers providing electricity to the village for the first time.
For more information, visit the Oregon Empowers website.
