November/December 2011
I
Today in Mississippi I 8a
Improving life in Guatemala
Above: In 2010, Singing River Electric employees were part of a crew that helped bring electricity to this woman, a village leader, in Jalapa. From left are a Jalapa lineman; the village leader (homeowner) and her children; Lee Hedegaard, general manager of SREPA; and Jerry Furby, SREPA substation technician. Top right: One year later, her child is able to watch television in his home, thanks to the hard work of the EPA linemen. Right center: Because she now has electricity, the local villager is able to set up a small store in a room of her home. Bottom right: The woman’s store even has a refrigerator, which allows her to sell the only cold drinks available in the village. At left: Singing River Electric construction foreman Jonathan Sanders works to build power lines in village near Jalapa.
Above: The linemen stop for a photo before leaving the village. Back row: Gerald Williamson from PRV, Jeremy White from SPEPA, Buck Williams from SREPA, Jonathan Sanders from SREPA, Nathan Sanders from YVEPA, Eric Woods from YVEPA and Kenneth Kitchens from EMEPA. Front row: Pat Linton from PRVEPA, Lee Hedegaard from SREPA, Stan Rucker from EPAs of MS, Barry McCool from SPEPA and Marce Goforth from EMEPA.
Twelve employees from six different electric cooperatives recently returned from Guatemala where they were able to improve the lives of many people. The trip was organized and funded by National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) International. The crew departed on Sunday, October 9, and returned Saturday, October 22, 2011. During their stay, they built power lines in the villages, across mountains and in Jalapa City. They also engineered a more efficient power line grid and taught safety and firstaid skills to local linemen. Shortly after arriving in Jalapa, the crew met up with the leader of one of the little villages outside of the city who had received power to her small home a year ago. Singing River Electric lineman had been a part of the crew last year to help bring her electricity. Electric power has changed her life. She told the lineman how she had been able to expand her small home by
adding three bedrooms. She also bought two refrigerators and added a small store to the front of her home. She now sells dried goods, frozen chickens and cold drinks to support her family. “We do not know the blessings we have in this county,” said Singing River Electric General Manager Lee Hedegaard. “Most people live on 12.5¢ a day in the rural villages outside of Jalapa. Nurses and teachers may make $200 per month.” Electricity really makes a difference in their lives and in their livelihoods. They are better able to live and take care of their families. They have a real quality of life for the first time in their lives and they value the little things. “Singing River Electric employees were blessed to have a small part in this trip and for NRECA International sponsoring the costs of travel,” said Hedegaard. “We helped our neighbors and made a real difference and it feels good.”