Lake Country Power journeyman lineworker Ben Hoyt is one of 14 lineworkers from Minnesota and Iowa traveling 2,800 miles to Guatemala on June 6 for two weeks to build new lines and hook up electricity to homes in the rural village of La Peña on the east side of the country.
Six other lineworkers from Minnesota and seven from Iowa are joining him to finish building 3.5 miles of line that will be connected to the local municipal power company, which will take over the service of the lines once completed. The crews will also set up electricity and water filters in 32 homes and help build a local schoolhouse for children.
“It’s going to be kind of cool to leave a little bit of a legacy there,” said Hoyt, who started at LCP in 2018. “Knowing that I helped bring power to this village and people who have never had lights before. So it should be really good. Good for the soul.”
The trip is part of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s (NRECA) International Program, which has been providing volunteers to illuminate villages and homes in impoverished countries around the world since 1962.
NRECA started international trips as a way to bring prosperity to those less fortunate around the world. Since that time, they have turned the lights on for more than 160 million people in 48 countries including countries in Africa, South America, Central America and Asia. Teams assist with all stages of planning and executing electrification projects, promoting electric cooperative development and empowering communities around the world.
On May 1, the volunteer lineworkers all met each other at a teambuilding session at MiEnergy Cooperative in Rushford, Minnesota. During the session, the team learned more about the specifics of the Guatemala project and the importance of documenting their journey and sharing their story.
Participating Minnesota cooperatives include lineworkers from MiEnergy, People’s Energy Cooperative, Stearns Electric Association, Minnesota Valley Electric Cooperative, Nobles Cooperative Electric and Sioux Valley Energy.
“I’m going with 13 other guys that are just like me. That’s something I’ve kind of learned in the lineman world, that we’re all the same type of guy,” Hoyt said. “I think it’ll be cool to be working with different guys from all over and see the way they do things.”
In the leadup to the trip, he also had the opportunity to speak with alumni of NRECA’s previous international stints. Those conversations sparked more excitement about starting the work and what they’re going to experience in the process.
“They were saying that all the guys that do it — in a heartbeat — if they could do it again, they would for sure,” he added. “I think it’s going to be a good experience and probably something everybody should do.”
For Hoyt, the opportunity came as he was taking a reflective look at life after a series of deaths in the family.
“What do I want to be remembered for?” he recalled asking himself. “Do good things, help people out. That’s what I want to leave here. I want to leave with people thinking I did everything I could to help people.”
Going to LaPeña could also provide a different outlook for the lineworkers in the field. Even though cooperatives started with the same idea in mind, to bring power to where it’s difficult to reach, electricity is now an expected part of life for many in the United States and other countries.
Hoyt said one of the images shown to the lineworkers from the village stuck with him. Six people shared a small square living space, stacking their hammocks three-high to make room for a kettle in the middle floor that they used to cook. On average, about 5.5 people live in each home in LaPeña. The population of LaPeña is 175 people. The linemen will be overnighting in Jalapa, a city of half a million and an hour drive to LaPeña.
“I’m pretty excited to get into that culture and be a little bit more grateful for the things that we have,” he said. “I’ll probably come back with a whole new mindset.”
The Minnesota Rural Electric Association (MREA), along with Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives, helped organize the effort. The organizations are running a dedicated Facebook group, 2024 Powering a Brighter Future in Guatemala, featuring real-time updates and photos from the field. Keep an eye out on Lake Country Power’s website and social media channels for updates on Hoyt’s trip to Guatemala.
Help support the 2024 Guatemala lineworkers
An online apparel storefront for the 2024 Guatemala project through NRECA International is NOW OPEN at https://personali-tees-humboldt-iowa.myshopify.com/collections/guatemala, to help support lineworkers and the trip.
Orders are open until June 7. You have the option to add a list of all the linemen's names with their co-op affiliation and hometown on the back of each item for a minimal charge.
Apparel is being sold through a locally-owned business in Humboldt, Iowa. Please email Kathy Davis, the owner of Personali-Tees, at personali-tees@hotmail.com with any ordering questions.
The trip is made possible through the generous donations of supporters. Direct donations to support the project can be made through PayPal at https://tinyurl.com/4ffkxmms.
Note: A story on Ben's trip was published in the June Newsline edition, but the scope of the work crews are doing has changed since it printed.