Tipmont representatives will be among a crew of Indiana electric cooperative personnel and lineworkers traveling to Guatemala in late January 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. From January 29 to February 15, the crew will extend electric infrastructure in the village of Palmira, a mountainous area along Guatemala’s western edge. When the build is completed, about 109 homes will have electricity for the first time.
Those joining from Tipmont are:
- Joe Banfield, Operations Manager
- Matt Bassett, Lead Lineman
- Ron Holcomb, President / CEO
“When you have this many homes, you see a lot of families, and that really stamps the exclamation point on us making a difference,” Bassett says. “Project Indiana is near and dear to my heart as a global project that benefits a lot of people. I love the experience and the difference we can make in a way that’s sustainable long after we return home.”
Having also been part of the staking crew that scouted the location, Banfield has seen the project grow.
“The people we’re serving sometimes think this isn’t going to actually happen, so when they see the engineering crew on the ground staking it out, everyone wants to sign up,” Banfield says. “What started as 30 poles and 50 homes has become 71 poles and 109 homes. And in staking, you really get to meet and know every homeowner. Seeing their faces change to happy, joyful smiles in that moment is the appeal for me.”
This is the sixth trip to Guatemala for Indiana electric cooperatives. In August 2012, 28 Hoosier lineworkers from 17 Indiana electric cooperatives spent four weeks working across mountainous terrain to deliver electricity across three villages to 184 homes, a church and a school. After trips in 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2023, lineworkers have collectively delivered electricity to 532 homes, five schools, five churches and a health clinic in Guatemala.
“It’s easy to keep going back after you’ve had that taste of changing things for the better — in a meaningful, life-altering way that lasts in your memory and the memories of those you’ve served,” Holcomb says. “The only downside is that you can only do so much in one trip, but the upside is that we’ll keep returning as much as we can.”
To follow along with the most recent Project Indiana trip while it’s happening, please visit www.projectindiana.org/palmira.
