President John F. Kennedy - On the signing of the first USAID-NRECA agreement to use the cooperative model to electrify rural areas of developing countries.

NRECA International Programs began in November 1962 when NRECA and the newly-established U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) signed an inaugural cooperative agreement in the White House Oval Office in a ceremony witnessed by President John F. Kennedy. NRECA International, Ltd. was incorporated as a wholly owned subsidiary of NRECA in June 1972.

The original purpose of NRECA’s overseas involvement was to share lessons learned in the electrification of the rural United States with developing countries around the world. NRECA International, Ltd. (NRECA International) has pioneered low cost rural electrification construction design and standards and has a wealth of experience in the design and operation of various generation technologies, including renewable resources such as biomass, wind, solar, and hydro. NRECA International provides comprehensive training programs in all aspects of utility operations and management to ensure that local institutions can effectively and efficiently operate and administer a functioning and economically viable utility.

NRECA International has developed and implemented rural electrification programs in over 40 countries with generous funding support from USAID, as well the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and other bilateral and multilateral international organizations such as the World Bank, the UK Department for International Development (DFID), Asian Development Bank (ADB), and host country government agencies.

NRECA International has developed some of the most successful rural electrification programs in the world, resulting in increased agricultural productivity, millions of new jobs in micro and small enterprises, and higher incomes and quality of life for more than 100 million people in over 42 countries. NRECA International operates field offices in the Dominican Republic, Bolivia, Guatemala, Southern Sudan, Bangladesh and Philippines, and maintains its home office at NRECA’s headquarters in Arlington, VA.