The opening day procession in front of the building that houses the power plant.	Thanks to the initiative of a local Salesian priest and a group of Italian engineers, the village of Kami, high in the Bolivian Andes, now has its own power supply once again.

The new power plant now offers hope to a population desperate for basic necessities.

The Lord seemed to have a plan to help these desperate people when Fr. Serafino Chiesa, S.D.B., was assigned to the village. Fr. Serafino noticed that, while the equipment had been lost, the dam, tunnel, and pipes feeding the power station from a nearby river were still usable. Why not restart the power station? It could supply a local school, hospital, sawmill, and any new businesses which might arise with the availability of electricity. Also, the Bolivian Electricity Board was prepared to buy the excess power, which would defray some of the initial cost. The European Union could also give a contribution.

A Mass celebrated with the people of Kami to commemorate the opening of the new hydro-electric power plant.

On a visit to his home in Italy, Fr. Serafino found out that two water turbines and generators of a local power station had recently been replaced and the old ones were lying in pieces in a shed. They could be reconditioned fairly easily, and volunteers were prepared to do this.

Fr. Serafino then went to the town of Schio, in northern Italy, with Efrem Fumagalli, director of COOPI in Milan, an NGO (non-government organization) which supports projects in developing countries. He wanted to get advice about the turbines. He discovered that the two turbines were suitable and could be reconditioned at a cost which was decidedly lower than buying new ones. They were also of a kind which could make full use of even a small supply of water in the dry season. They then asked Ugo Grotto, a technician who had recently retired, to go and examine the turbines. Ugo became so enthusiastic that he offered to supervise the job, to be carried out by small firms which had worked for him in the past. The turbines were immediately shipped to Schio.

As Fr. Serafino’s “courage” built up, he found himself asking firms to charge rock-bottom prices and mobilizing his friends to take on more and more of the work free of charge. Over 20 retired workers contributed, working over 5,000 hours, and many local firms supplied material and services free or at a reduced price. The cost was a fraction of the estimate. Finally, last autumn, 2006, the two reconditioned turbines were shipped to Bolivia from Italy.

Another entire story could be written about how the Bolivians and their Italian friends restored the power station and enlarged the tunnel. It is impossible to draw the line between generous human enthusiasm and God’s intervention in making the right situation turn up at the right place at the right time.

“Thank you, Salesian Fathers” says it all, as a parade of very grateful townspeople stroll along the roads leading to the new “Quehata” (power plant).

On May 11, 2007, the Salesians in the Province of Bolivia opened the new “Quehata,” hydro-electric station as an ecological project that will provide much-needed electricity for many places in the regions of Cochabamba, La Paz and surrounding areas.

The project was organized by Fr. Serafino and the Salesians who work in the “San José Obrero” parish in Kami and nearby. Construction was made possible thanks to the contribution of the COOPI (Italian International Cooperation), and you, our generous donors! Through your hands and your hearts, many children will be given a chance at a future with an education, health services and job training.