Rural Co-Op Linemen Restore Power In Guatemalan Town

A group of linemen from rural electric cooperatives returned home to Oklahoma Friday after installing electricity to a village in Guatemala.

Friday, September 16th 2022, 10:45 pm



A group of linemen from rural electric cooperatives returned home to Oklahoma Friday after installing electricity to a village in Guatemala.

Linemen that were on the trip said the Guatemalan village they visited had never had power. They hoped that bringing electricity to the town would brighten their day and lead to more opportunities to grow.

After three weeks away from their families, linemen like Damon Lester said they're happy to be home but are more ecstatic about the stories they have to tell.

“To go and witness another way of life is just very humbling. A lot of times when we first talk about these projects, we talk about them as being poor people those words don't fit they're just unresourced,” Lester said.

Lester along with other linemen from Oklahoma and Colorado electric rural coops traveled to the Guatemalan village.

“The name of the village is La Montanita De La Virgen which is the little virgin mountain,” Lester said.

The linemen installed electricity to the town of around 200 people.

“They specifically have us come to string the wire and hang the transformers and actually wire the houses when we get there,” Darren Frazier said.

Frazier said despite being a town full of darkness, their strength shines through.

“You begin to realize how resourceful and resilient the people that actually live there are and most of the impact of the trip is on us,” Fraizer said.

Now, students can work in a building with power. Chris Myers with Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives said this makes their future along with the village even brighter.

“Their lives are changed forever life with electricity is so much easier. They're providing generations of people with electricity,” Myers said.

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