Celebrating light.
There was cause for celebration in Pena Roja this week. Just as it has been on each of the four Project Indiana construction trips before this one, our linemen brought electricity to a village that has never had it before. That was the mission. But, as they’ve done on each trip before this one, the linemen celebrated with the villagers a successful mission and the possibilities that are to come for those who live in Pena Roja.
Picture day.
School and family pictures are something we take for granted here. Most American schoolchildren have a school picture day at least once a year. Many families coordinate their outfits for a family photo to adorn the front of the annual holiday card. But, in Guatemala, portraits are a luxury.
There is light!
Wednesday and Thursday were beautiful days on the mountain. Following a night of heavy rain, the sun came out very early Wednesday and helped dry everything out. Wednesday night the team watched a very bright thunderstorm across the mountain ridge to the west of the village. However, that storm didn’t bring any rain to Pena Roja that night.
Half of the village homes had electricity turned on Wednesday and the other half were turned on Thursday.
A Broken Record
It seems like each daily update has become a broken record, but it was another beautiful and productive day! The weather was perfect yet again and allowed the project team to accomplish a lot.
Another Amazing Day
The Project Indiana team had another amazing day on the mountain. The weather cleared up, the sun shone, and the temperature was in the 80s. The crew hung another 11 spans of wire and hung the second transformer. They scouted some potential maintenance work and started on some work around the village school.
A Productive Day
The project team was anxious to get to work, and they sure were productive today! In the first full day on the mountain, they were able to pull all the available wire, start hanging it on poles and hang one of the two transformers.
A Container Arrives!
And, the crew finally arrived in Pena Roja! The long-awaited shipping container with supplies caught up to the Project Indiana team in Huehuetenango this morning, which allowed the crew to complete its journey to the project site in Pena Roja, Guatemala.
In the photo to the left, the last summit in the upper right corner of the photo is Project Indiana team’s destination — the village of Pena Roja.
A Long Travel Day
After a long day of travel, the Project Indiana team safely arrived in Guatemala on Thursday, April 27. Their journey included two flights and an hours-long drive to get to their first stop for the night.
Fourteen Lineworkers to empower a global community for a better tomorrow
Fourteen Indiana electric cooperative lineworkers will travel to Guatemala in late April as part of an international initiative to bring electricity to a developing area in Guatemala.
“Project Indiana: Empowering Global Communities for a Better Tomorrow” will bring electricity to a part of the Central American country where none is available. The crew will spend April 27 through May 13 extending electric infrastructure in the village of Peña Roja along the western edge of Guatemala. When completed, approximately 26 homes will have electricity for the first time.