Illuminating lives: Government closes gaps in access to electricity in populated centers

Julia Eulalia Serrato Serquén is a mother of eleven children and grandmother of more than forty grandchildren. For years, she supported her family from a small street food stand, where she prepared ceviche, rice with duck, goat, and turkey pepian. She cooked over a wood fire, both for her family and for her customers. In her home, the oil lamp was the only source of light; in the business, an old Petromax lamp sustained the workdays and accompanied each dish served. But that precarious light was always harmful. The smoke from the lamp damaged her lungs, and the kerosene represented a constant expense. When it ran out, the palo santo was the only source of light, but it filled the house with smoke and frustration. Years passed like this, with electricity as an eternal unfulfilled promise. Still, Doña Julia never stopped hoping. Today, that dark wait is over. With the arrival of electric power to her community thanks to the government of President José María Balcázar, Doña Julia can ...