Haiti: Powering the Country through Rural Electric Cooperatives
Electricity is essential to development, but reaching rural areas is often a challenge. In southwest Haiti, three local communities identified a shared need for a reliable energy source to sustain their livelihoods.
Through USAID’s CDP, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) International supported the startup of the region's first electric cooperative utility, serving over 1,600 households. NRECA provided technical assistance by deploying 40 U.S. electric cooperative volunteers. The volunteers delivered power generation and distribution technology, as well as training in utility management to the local electric cooperatives’ technicians. The training and technology provided through NRECA International’s program brought power to more than 8,000 people who can now access electricity 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.