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Chetek man helps light up the world
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| By: Anita Zimmerman |
June 10, 2009 |
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While on location as an electric industry consultant, West has captured hundreds of striking images in dozens of countries. Two workers mix concrete for the power station in Yei, Southern Sudan in Africa.
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Sam West leads an enlightening life. For more than 35 years, the Chetek resident has been an electric industry consultant. He's currently employed by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, of which local cooperative Barron Electric is a member.
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Some years back, West was given the opportunity to work on international projects. Since then, his passport has been stamped in more than 50 countries all over the world.
NRECA's international and philanthropic branches, NRECA International, Ltd. and NRECA International Foundation, work to bring electricity to rural areas in developing countries.
With funding from the United States Agency for International Development, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, World Bank and other groups, NRECA International builds power stations and trains employees to operate them. Through the charitable foundation, volunteers are sent to help with construction and training.
So far, NRECA International has implemented programs in more than 40 countries. West strongly believes in the organization's mission.
"I think what NRECA is doing is a very worthwhile thing," he says.
West is responsible for selecting and installing software systems, training employees in operations and customer service and, while in the States, providing remote assistance. He is currently assisting with two major projects, one in Africa and another in the Middle East.
In Southern Sudan, NRECA was contracted by USAID to build and/or rebuild the electrical distribution system in the City of Yei. South Sudan had just gotten over 40-plus years of civil war that destroyed most of its infrastructure, West explains.
The Yei project began in 2003. Once design and feasibility studies were completed, materials were acquired and engineering and construction of the facility began. Installation of streetlights was the first phase to be completed.
"Streetlights have been tremendously beneficial to the city and its residents," West comments. Once the streets were totally deserted after dark, he says. Now, police can patrol more easily and small businesses are sprouting up beneath the beams.
During the course of the project, he estimates he's traveled to Southern Sudan more than 20 times and visited Yei about 15 times. Now most of his contact with the general manager is via phone or e-mail, but the process of expanding utilities into rural areas is ongoing. Volunteers from Minnesota, Missouri and Georgia are building primary distribution lines in Yei right now, he adds.
In August, NRECA will take home an Associations Make A Better World Award for its efforts in Yei.
West's second undertaking is in its preliminary stages. The Yemen project, funded by numerous donors, is focused on expansion of electricity into the many rural areas of the predominantly rural Middle Eastern country. Eventually, 27 cooperatives will be formed. Ibb Governate was the selected site for a pilot program.
West expects operations at the Ibb Rural Electric Cooperative to begin before the end of 2009. He's already chosen the software, but he's waiting on additional funding to continue. Once the Ibb cooperative is up and running, NRECA will begin on the other 26 areas.
It's an ambitious project, but West isn't daunted. He has a short attention span, he says.
"I think it's a good job. If I didn't have this job, I'd have to work for a living," he smiles.
So, how did West, a Texas native, end up living in Chetek?
In his own words, "I met a Wisconsin lady in Pakistan."
In fact, West met his wife Linda-then a Peace Corps volunteer from Neillsville-at the American Club, the only bar in Lahore, Pakistan. They were married one year later.
Given his extensive travels, it isn't surprising that West is a man of many stories. He's cruised down the Nile, been pursued by a crocodile in Kenya and gone swimming in the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea and other faraway waters.
He's seen a Mine Wolf in action-a rototiller-style machine as big as a combine that unearths and explodes land mines-and dwelled in a tent in Africa.
"I feel very fortunate, because I've experienced firsthand cultures and things that 99 percent of the people in the world only dream of," he says. "I've been to 50 or 75 foreign countries. I know people there that I consider friends."
Luckily, all you need is a passport to share some of West's experiences.
Through the NRECA Foundation, volunteers spend two or three weeks working on electrification projects all over the world. To apply, visit www.nrecainternational.org, click on Get Involved in the International Foundation drop menu, and choose Volunteer Overseas.
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©The Chetek Alert 2010
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