Faces of Hope
U.S. Co-ops, Dominicans Partner to Provide Power
Leonel Fernandez, a strong advocate of free trade and economic development, is working hard to improve his country’s economy and infrastructure. That’s his job, as president of the Dominican Republic, and he has his work cut out for him.
Like many developing countries, the Caribbean island nation of nine million is struggling with the problem of unreliable electric service. In most parts of the country (comprising roughly the eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, the remainder of which is the territory of the Republic of Haiti) Dominicans live with electric service that’s sporadic and power outages may occur at any time, sometimes lasting for hours.
The national electric infrastructure is in serious need of upgrading. The same is true of roads, storm sewers, transport and public health.
President Fernandez and the Dominican Congress have agreed that electric cooperatives will play a role in an improved electrical system for rural Dominicans.
Large businesses, resorts, and factories solved their electrical problems years ago by buying generators to make their own power and ignoring their country’s dysfunctional electric system. The increasing number of American tourists visiting this beautiful island need not worry about power outages: They will have a wonderful time at the many luxurious, upscale resorts lining the white sand beaches of Hispaniola’s eastern shores.
But for ordinary Dominicans in the west, buying generators is not a solution. The western portion of the Dominican Republic is one of its poorest areas. Officially, the per capita income of Dominicans is about $8,000 per year. In the west, it is much less. Just across the Dominican Republic’s western border, Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.
La Cooperativa
In 2004 the people of the western area of La Fronteriza formed an electric cooperative, Cooperativa Electricas Fronteriza (CEF). President Fernandez approved the project, which seeks to enroll 16,000 members in the new co-op. The American trade association for electric cooperatives, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) has managed and helped lead the CEF project through its International Programs Division.
The headquarters and warehouse of the new cooperative are in a town of 16,000 residents, Las Matas de Farfan. The eight villages closest to Las Matas are included in the project. In these villages most residents live in 15-by-10-foot concrete-block houses with tin roofs. Agriculture consists of small farms producing rice, bananas, avocados, and other crops. The cost to join the cooperative is $15, but even very poor people are signing up to become members. Much like the pioneers of American electric cooperatives in the 1930s, ordinary people in the area of Las Matas are conducting a membership drive to sign up as many people as possible to join the cooperative.
Over 2,500 people have joined the cooperative and the members and volunteer board of directors are determined to bring 24 hour-a-day electricity to their homes and farms. The leaders of the cooperative have decided that only they can solve the terrible electric problems that plague the area. With the help of $6 million contributed by the Dominican Republic national government, USAID and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and NRECA, the NRECA staff in the country is leading the effort to obtain used materials for the project, train directors, oversee the rebuilding of the electric grid, build community support, and negotiate with the government on the ultimate goal of the cooperative taking over the operation of the electrical grid around Las Matas.
David Kittelson, NRECA country director for the Dominican Republic, is optimistic that the problems can be solved. “We did a study that indicated Dominicans spend $36 million on candles, kerosene, inverters, batteries, and other supplies to provide light and electricity when the system fails,” he said. But for only $20 million per year, the national electric grid could be made serviceable and avoid spending all that money on workarounds.”
Help, Training
NRECA is managing to reconstruct the failed electrical system in the Las Matas area for less than $500 per customer, a fraction of what it would cost in the United States.
Recently, Kittelson arranged for a team of NRECA staff to go to Las Matas, conduct town meetings to promote membership, train directors, and meet with staff on warehouse operations.
David Jenkins, manager of the Wisconsin Electric Cooperative Association, accompanied Hugo Arriaza, NRECA country director for Guatemala, and Junior de los Santos, a young Dominican lawyer and NRECA staff member, on a week-long trip to Las Matas. Arriaza prepared all the training materials for the directors of the cooperative and the three conducted two days of intensive training on board/management relationships, hiring a manager, parliamentary procedure, leadership, and other topics. Arriaza also arranged the town meetings and translated Jenkins’ parts of the presentation into Spanish. In Las Matas, they were joined by a number of other NRECA International employees, most of whom are Dominicans.
NRECA International is managing the cooperative until the agreements with the national government are in place and the skills of the directors are sufficient to hand off operations to them.
Addressing a Need
To local co-op members like Board President Justo Orive, 24-hour-a-day electricity is vital. Orive and his father and son milk their herd of 27 cows by hand. Someday, because of the electric co-op, they may use milking machines. Orive’s fellow board members come from all walks of life: teachers, doctors, farmers, small businesspeople, and homemakers. About one-fourth of the board members are women.
The training of the directors included NRECA education program materials translated to Spanish by Arriaza. He had also translated a 12-page brochure, “We Are Wisconsin’s Electric Cooperatives,” into Spanish. The Wisconsin statewide electric co-op organization intends to use this brochure on its website and for communications with its Spanish-speaking members of Wisconsin electric cooperatives.
Arriaza, a gifted teacher and rural development expert, has helped on the Las Matas project for several years as well as handling his duties in Guatemala. “They have a great deal of hope,” says Arriaza of the directors. “They are excited about the project. They will succeed.”
Town Meetings
The NRECA group’s first meeting in Las Matas was with the local Rotary Club. As Arriaza and Jenkins were explaining how American electric cooperatives overcame the problem of sporadic—or no—electricity, the lights suddenly went out. The outage lasted only for a few minutes, but such outages occur frequently. The irony was not lost on the Rotarians. The members of the Rotary Club warmly received the message that the electric co-op must succeed in Las Matas in order to promote a better economy and to create investment and jobs. With reliable electric service, economic life will improve in Las Matas.
One hurdle the new co-op will be working to overcome is the loss of electricity to theft. Because disenchantment with the state-owned utility is so great, 40 percent of electricity in the local grid is subject to theft. Local co-op leaders know that this must stop if the co-op is to be successful. Non-payment of bills is also a problem.
CEF will be challenged to simultaneously solve these problems while educating the local citizens about what a cooperative is. It will take a great deal of patience and persistence.
On the morning of June 22, the NRECA contingent met with Victor Paniagua, the CEO of Cooperativa Central, a credit union in Las Matas. Dr. Paniagua has been a co-op leader in the area and has helped a great deal in getting the CEF cooperative formed. He offered advice and information to use in recruiting new cooperative members.
In the afternoon, the NRECA group went to Juan Santiago, a small village about 20 miles away. After surviving a breakdown of their 15-year-old Ford 150 (donated by American cooperatives) Junior de los Santos and Jenkins finally made it to the village, where a town meeting was hosted by Pastor Manuel Canario of the Assembly of God church. The small church was filled with more than 100 local residents eager to learn about the electric cooperative. They expressed their interest in membership and the NRECA staff and co-op leaders answered questions, talking about the early cooperative pioneers in the U.S. who had to go farm-to-farm convincing their neighbors to pay $5 to join the newly formed electric co-ops.
Universal Message
Many of the people in the meeting were very poor, yet they expressed a strong hope that the new co-op would be successful. There is a much greater opportunity for economic development in villages like Juan Santiago with adequate electric service, than without it. And the co-op being developed by NRECA’s International Program is the only way the villagers will get it. People at the meeting were asked to sign up, and many did.
Later that evening there was a similar meeting at the Catholic church in Las Matas de Farfan. Father Zacarias spoke in support of the efforts of NRECA and the electric cooperative. Another speaker, a co-op director, was eloquent in his description of the organization: “It is not the poles, the wires, or the trucks or the building. The cooperative is you.”
Jenkins said that the town meetings were deeply moving and made an unforgettable impression on him, particularly since he admits to being among those Americans who often take the availability of things such as air conditioning and 24-hour-a-day electric service for granted. “It is difficult to describe how strong the determination of these people is to get electric service,” Jenkins said.
Donated Equipment Needed
One of the cornerstones of the International Program is donated equipment from American electric cooperatives. NRECA members have donated millions of dollars of surplus equipment since the beginning of the program.
In Las Matas the CEF has a warehouse that is in serious need of many items. These include a forklift, file cabinets, metal storage shelving for parts, two-wheeled hand trucks, a parts cart, a computer, printer, and other items.
Jenkins met with the NRECA warehouse and accounting team to come up with suggestions to better organize the warehouse and security for facility. They came up with many specific ideas for improving the flow of materials in and organization of the warehouse. As part of the grid-reconstruction project spearheaded by NRECA and CEF, a good deal of materials will be flowing through that warehouse.
The Best Face of America
Jenkins noted the challenge facing the rural people in the Dominican Republic is exactly the same as that faced by American farmers and rural residents in the mid-1930s. Now, as Americans did in the ’30s, they are solving the problem by forming their own electric cooperatives.
“At a time when many Americans are asking questions about what our country’s role in the world should be, NRECA’s International Program is providing the right answers,” he said, observing that by making possible not only electric service to people of developing nations but also instilling hope and creating the basis for economic development, the NRECA International Program staff is showing an important face of America to the world. The message projected by activities like those underway at the CEF, according to Jenkins, is that the people of the United States believe in making the lives of the people of developing nations better.
“Improving the standards of living for poor people in the Dominican Republic helps not only Dominicans but Americans as well,” he continued. “A peaceful, prosperous, and richer Dominican Republic will buy more American products and will stand firm with American interests in the world.”
Jenkins said his experience in the Dominican Republic confirms that the motto of the NRECA International Program is more than a slogan. “The dedicated people of the International Program are truly ‘Lighting the world, one village at a time.’ They are among the best ambassadors our nation has,” he said. “By working very hard in extremely difficult circumstances, they are instilling respect, admiration, and affection for the United States of America. Rarely in our history has our country needed those things more than it does today.”—story by WEC News staff; photos by Hugo Arriaza, NRECA
Living in rural Wisconsin means embracing some of the most enjoyable activities you can imagine—fishing, canoeing, camping, and hunting. But if you have never learned these activities, how do you start? And if you are a woman who wants to learn, where do you go? Go to BOW!
he Becoming an Outdoors-Woman (BOW) program is an outreach effort of the College of Natural Resources at UW–Stevens Point (UWSP). BOW (when spoken, it rhymes with “flow”) is a non-profit, non-membership program open to anyone 18 and older. Introductory classes in fishing and boating, shooting and hunting, camping, kayaking, outdoor cooking, map and compass, and many other topics are taught by patient, enthusiastic instructors. The supportive atmosphere and camaraderie among participants are hallmarks of the program. Weekend-long BOW workshops offer a smorgasbord of activities, while Beyond BOW events focus on a single topic for participants to explore in-depth. BOW also offers one-day field events, so there is something for everyone.
The Seeds of BOW
BOW grew out of the innovative thinking of BOW founder Dr. Christine Thomas, dean of the College of Natural Resources. In 1990, Thomas was involved in a conference called “Breaking Down the Barriers” that explored reasons why more women weren’t involved in outdoor activities. Conference participants, made up of natural resource professionals, sportsmen and women, and citizens of the state, created a list of perceived barriers to participation and strategies that might remove those barriers. Many of the barriers related to lack of educational opportunities—that’s where the BOW program came in.
Thomas and a cadre of volunteers organized a weekend of outdoor-skills learning and invited women to participate. Thomas wondered, “Now that we’ve built it, will they come?”
Her question was answered when more than 100 women signed up for the first-ever BOW workshop held in the summer of 1991. Since that time, BOW has caught on in more than 40 states, five Canadian provinces, and even New Zealand. BOW is generally offered through natural resource agencies and in partnership with many conservation organizations such as Ducks Unlimited, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Safari Club International, Pheasants Forever, and others. Programs are also supported by the outdoor industry, including companies such as Browning, Leupold, and the Federal Cartridge Company.
Fun Outdoors
Each year, hundreds of Wisconsin women participate in BOW offerings. Fly fishing on the Tomorrow/Waupaca River during the June Beyond BOW event has been a perennial favorite. Home base for this workshop, which also includes kayaking, biking and many other activities, is the Central Wisconsin Environmental Station (CWES) near Amherst Junction. That facility gets its power from Central Wisconsin Electric Cooperative, and the co-op has donated time and materials to support the learning center.
Other BOW workshops take place in August and February, attracting even out-of-state women who come to explore Wisconsin’s beautiful outdoors. Participants from coast to coast enjoy comfortable lodging, excellent food, and an exciting array of courses at UWSP’s Treehaven Field Station near Tomahawk. Additional events are held throughout the state on an annual basis (see sidebar). Women ages 18 to 90+ attend with friends, relatives, and work colleagues. Some women step out of their comfort zone by attending solo and wind up making new life-long friends at BOW workshops.
“Participants have told me, ‘The BOW program has changed my life,’” said International and Wisconsin BOW Coordinator Peggy Farrell. “The women who attend these programs are an inspiration to others. BOW is an empowering experience for participants and instructors alike.”
Many Wisconsin boys learn hunting and shooting skills before they leave middle school. However, many women are over 18 before they join the ranks of shooting enthusiasts. “The intimidation factor is something we can remove by teaching these skills in a safe environment,” Dr. Thomas asserts. “We see women go on to join trap shooting clubs, and they send us photos of their first deer and tell us about their adventures. Many say they would never have tried these activities without BOW.”
Research through BOW
Being based at UWSP brings a research component to the BOW program. BOW advisor Diane Lueck describes several projects: “We found that women who attend BOW workshops stay more involved in the activities they learned. They buy hunting and fishing licenses and park stickers.” In addition, Lueck says, BOW focuses on inviting non-traditional outdoor users. “We’ve researched how to get women from under-served groups to participate outdoors. We’ve found what women with disabilities need in order to feel welcomed at workshops,” sahe said. “Several BOW research projects looked at land ownership. What better connection can there be than fun outdoor activities on your own property?”
If you miss the summer events, get in line for the February BOW workshop. You will find dozens of ways to enjoy Wisconsin’s winter activities. Dog sledding and skijoring (skiing behind dogs) are incredibly popular. Other activities range from fly tying and lure making to firearm safety and archery, to snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and ice fishing. “We have lots of Southern women who come up to this workshop to see what it’s like to ‘walk on water,’” Farrell relates. Participants from Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma, Florida, and other intrepid warm-weather denizens have enjoyed beautiful snowy days in Wisconsin.
All are invited to learn more about the BOW program and to join the fun. Call toll free, 1-877-BOWOMAN (877-269-6626) or check it out online at www.uwsp.edu/cnr/bow.—Diane Lueck and Peggy Farrell
The Spanish version of “We Are Wisconsin’s Electric Cooperatives” (left) and a page from another member-recruitment publication help promote cooperative business in the Dominican Republic.
While we consistently—and proudly—will reference the heroic efforts of farmers in the 1930s that brought about cooperative rural electrification, precious few of us working for electric co-ops today can claim to have actually witnessed the struggles undertaken by the early organizers.
On his recent assignment to help out a fledgling electric co-op in the Dominican Republic, Wisconsin Electric Co-op Association Manager Dave Jenkins was able to get a first-hand glimpse at some of what it took seven decades ago to convince skeptical residents that a novel form of business could help them secure a desperately needed service. Jenkins said the experience seemed like stepping back in time to the beginnings of cooperative organization in the U.S. (The story of the project he worked on begins HERE.)
Early Phase
We’ve carried stories about international cooperative missions of this type before; our February 2003 cover, for example, showed a Philippine lineworker hooking up an electric service, courtesy of help provided by American co-ops through the International Division of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA).
Some of our previous stories involved U.S. co-op personnel helping to physically construct electric systems in remote international locations. That’s obviously a critical part of the story, and the rustic locales have relentlessly presented visiting lineworkers with daunting challenges.
In this case, however, Jenkins found himself at the front-end, organizational phase of a project, and in many ways the obstacles were every bit as formidable as line construction. On the “to-do” list were training directors and helping pitch the cooperative idea to prospective members—a sort of throwback to the early town meetings and cooperative-membership recruiting that peppered rural Wisconsin 70 years ago.
Leaping Languages!
One handout presented to the Dominican co-op’s directors was the Spanish translation of a publication telling the story of the many ways Wisconsin’s electric co-ops benefit their members and entire communities. In making the translation, we found the language barrier surprisingly easy to transcend. Plugging the English text into an Internet-based computer program, an instant Spanish rendering appeared, and to ensure accuracy, we ran it all past a bilingual NRECA employee. Truly, the world is becoming a smaller place.
NRECA prepared other native-language training materials and publications keyed to members. A variety of approaches were used to tell the cooperative story—from formal “live” presentations by NRECA employees, Jenkins (sometimes with a translator), and Dominican co-op leaders to more whimsical published promotions (see illustration above).
As much as the recruitment initiatives harkened back to earlier U.S. experiences, there is one distinction between the inaugural efforts taking place in the Dominican Republic and those that took place in Depression-era America. It’s that the Dominicans today can be presented with—and encouraged by—stellar examples of electric cooperative success, where our 1930s pioneers had little to fly with but faith.
Those early leaders probably never suspected they’d be laying a foundation of global proportions.
Last month’s “Wisconsin Favorites” featured the beautiful Apostle Islands, in Lake Superior. This month, while the summer weather holds, we’ll continue island-hopping in Wisconsin—this time to Washington Island, in Lake Michigan just off of Door County. Washington Island inhabitants and businesses get their electricity exclusively through Wisconsin’s smallest rural electric cooperative (REC), Washington Island Electric Cooperative. This REC has just recently been welcomed as the newest member of the statewide co-op organizations, the Wisconsin Electric Cooperative Association and the Wisconsin Federation of Cooperatives.
But what of the very small chunk of water-locked land this REC serves? The only way to really understand the beauty and history of this island is to spend some time there. Luckily, the Washington Island Ferry will whisk you there in 30 minutes, crossing the storied Death’s Door passageway from the Northport Pier, at the very end of Door Peninsula, to Washington Island and back again. The ferry operates year-round, though less frequently in winter, and also transports your car, motorcycle, or bike.
Washington Island has a rich history, with the first inhabitants being the Potowatami Indians. They were visited by traders and missionaries, with most of the settlers who followed being of Scandinavian heritage. Today, with a year-round population of approximately 700, this island lives as if it were much larger, with plenty to see and do.
To get a feel for the island’s history, suggested stops are the Washington Island Farm Museum, the Jackson Harbor Maritime Museum, and the Jacobsen Museum (all open Memorial Day weekend to mid-October; check dates before going). Visit the grounds of the Norwegian Stavkirke (church), and to delve more deeply into the island’s history, visit the Washington Island Archives,
Don’t neglect Mother Nature, either. There are parks, beaches, a nature trail, and abundant birding/watching. Sunsets are spectacular, as are the starry night skies. Athletic types can go boating, fish, bike, hike, ride Icelandic horses and ponies, and play tennis or golf. Visit the community’s recreation center for an indoor pool, whirlpool, and various exercise equipment. For the more sedentary, there are always shops to be discovered.
Washington Island also boasts a full slate of special events to keep inhabitants and travelers entertained. In August alone, there are: Scandinavian Fest Kaffe and Stavkirke open house, August 3; Scandinavian Dance Festival, Aug. 4; Scandinavian Worship Service, Aug. 5; Music Festival, Aug. 6–17; Island Fair, Aug. 18; and the Lions Club’s Under the Big Top Flea Market, Aug. 19. Autumn brings art classes; a delectable fish boil, a fall harvest dinner, and a Hunters Stew feed; the Firemen’s Ball; and a Fall Fun Fest and Cider Party at the Farm Museum. Mid-December through mid-February features the Season of Lights at the Rec Center, and the population celebrates winter and the Fish Derby from February 9–17.
How will you ever fit all this culture, exercise, and fun into a short stay? The solution is simple: Either check in for an extended stay in one of the island’s overnight accommodations, relax in one or all of the isle’s restaurants and pubs between activities, or, as more than a few travelers do, decide to become a permanent resident. Either way, you’ll receive a warm Washington Island welcome!—Linda Hilton
For more information, including addresses and phone numbers of services, the ferry line, museums, sports facilities, accommodations, restaurants, and so forth, contact the Washington Island Chamber of Commerce at www.washingtonislandchamber.com or call 920/847-2179 (email: gibsonwh@itol.com) to request a color brochure.
