International Year of Cooperatives

The United Nations has declared July 5, 2025, the International Year of Cooperatives, emphasizing their role in sustainable development.

One way Indiana’s electric cooperatives embody this mission is through Project Indiana, which has brought electricity to remote Guatemalan villages since 2012, impacting more than 3,860 individuals in total. With six trips completed, the initiative has powered hundreds of homes, schools, and churches while supporting cooperative formation, education, and infrastructure.

We are especially grateful for the contributions of two of our WWVREMC employees who have dedicated their time to enhance the lives of those in Guatemala. Derrick Mullins, Operations Manager, participated in the initiative in 2017, followed by Clay Smith, Line Foreman, who journeyed to Guatemala in 2019. Their commitment to service has made a meaningful difference in these communities.

“In the end, it’s not only light that Project Indiana brings — it’s life, hope, progress, and opportunity,” said Clay Smith. “It brings full circle what happened in the 1930s here in rural Indiana — people working together to light a community, one pole at a time, to make a better life.”

As Indiana’s electric cooperatives celebrate the International Year of Cooperatives in 2025, they remain committed to living out cooperative principles — both at home and abroad. Project Indiana is a testament to the power of cooperatives and how they help build a better world.

“For many, electricity is an afterthought. A simple flip of a switch brings light, connection, and comfort,” said Derrick Mullins. People in remote regions like Guatemala endure extreme hardships. Many live in smoky, dark, one-room huts with packed dirt floors, their homes illuminated only by sunlight slipping through bamboo or wooden slats. Through Project Indiana, Indiana’s electric cooperatives empower global communities one village at a time.