NRECA International’s presence in the Dominican Republic began in 1997 when it provided technical assistance under a USAID-funded renewable energy project. The next year, in the aftermath of Hurricane Georges, NRECA International sent more than 20 volunteer linemen from U.S. cooperatives to help reconstruct the electric system in the country’s eastern region, benefiting more than 3,000 families. In 2002, a comprehensive national rural electrification plan was developed to assist in allocating resources for future projects. NRECA International is helping to create two model electric cooperatives: Cooperativa Electrica La Fronteriza, encompassing a large rural area along the Haitian border, and Cooperativa Electrica Las Flores, located in an urban community in Santo Domingo. With NRECA International’s help, rural Dominicans are now confident that they can manage their future.

Anetty Lerebours has always worked to help her hometown. Born and raised in Las Matas, Dominican Republic—a small town located about 20 miles from the Haitian border—Anetty still lives there with her husband and child. As director of the Central Co-op, a local savings and loan cooperative that supports small businesses, Anetty is all too aware of spending resources to resolve electricity problems.