Oregon Electric Cooperatives Power Up Villagers’ Lives
By Shane Stenquist and Ted Case
In a powerful demonstration of community and cooperation, a team of volunteer lineworkers from Oregon electric cooperatives recently returned from a life-changing project to bring electricity to Aldea Coco, a remote village nestled in the Guatemalan mountains.
The team spent 12 days working side by side with locals to extend more than 2 miles of power line across rugged terrain. Armed with determination, compassion, and a deep belief in the cooperative way, they were able to electrify 26 homes, a church, and a school.
The project, known as Oregon Empowers, was the result of planning and cooperation between individual electric cooperatives in Oregon with the statewide Oregon Rural Electric Cooperative Association and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association International. NRECA began the international program as an initiative that enables electric cooperatives across the United States to support rural electrification in developing countries.
In 2023, Oregon co-ops proudly answered the call, sending a crew to Guatemala to electrify the village of Jalapa. When the opportunity to return to Guatemala for a second project presented itself, volunteers quickly stepped forward.
The 2025 project, however, presented different challenges—including triple-digit heat and steep, unfamiliar terrain.
“We had 10 guys pulling wire downhill but had to stop because we didn’t see a 40-foot cliff,” said Brent Baune, a journeyman lineworker with Salem Electric Cooperative.
But for all the obstacles, Salem Electric groundman Dane Bruggeman saw what the project meant for the villagers. Bruggeman, who speaks Spanish, related a story about meeting an 86-year-old man who had lived his entire life without electricity, despite many promises throughout the years that it would come to the remote village.
“He had tears in his eyes,” Bruggeman said. “He was very grateful for us being there.”
On projects like this, NRECA International coordinators usually work with locals to make sure all poles are set before the crew arrives. This allows the crew to begin pulling wire and attaching equipment to poles immediately. However, for this project, holes had been dug, but poles had not been set yet, forcing the team to change its approach.
Eric Wirfs, director of operations at Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative, was the project lead.
“We started inside the village, wiring the houses,” he said. “It turned out great because it allowed us to build strong connections with the villagers at the very beginning of the project and see the purpose behind what we were there for. That helped power the team through the challenges of the next week.”
Water Is Life
An essential element for any home is water. The villagers of Aldea Coco built their homes along the Coco River, which supplies all of their water needs. Water is collected and stored in 5-gallon drums for use in the homes. Washing clothes, bathing, irrigating, and watering livestock take place in the river itself. This was truly a departure from the American way of life these men are used to.
This and other NRECA International projects would not be possible without the generosity of sponsors, donors, and volunteers. A special thanks to Sorbenots Coffee, which sponsored a water filtration system and electric hot plates for each home.
Changing Perspectives
Wirfs described the importance of these projects.
“I think of the benefits of this project in terms of what it means to the villagers, what it means to the team who went, and how that benefits the co-ops back home,” he said.
The villagers wasted no time taking advantage of the benefits of electricity. Crew members marveled at a local villager carrying a refrigerator on his back through a village. Another woman in Aldea Coco was excited to have an electric blender.
It was also a life-changing experience for the Oregon Empowers team.
“Seeing what this meant to the people changed our perspective on the advantages of having electricity—something we take for granted every day,” Wirfs said.
