Who We Are

Alexander Petroff, President
Alexander graduated from Hampshire College in 2006 with a BA in Development Economics, shortly after founding Working Villages International in 2005. Having traveled throughout sub-Saharan Africa, he decided to begin building villages in the Ruzizi Valley region of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and has been working on development in that region ever since. He was selected to be a TED Senior Fellow for his vision and work in economic development.

Marc "Fiston" Malago, Project Manager
Fiston joined Working Villages in 2007 as Project Manager, overseeing the Ruzizi Project. A native of the Ruzizi Valley, he earned his degree in Agronomy before working with the UN in the capital of Congo, Kinshasa. WVI began work in the Ruzizi Valley in 2006, and Fiston left the UN to join WVI, eager to do development work in his native region. His expertise and familiarity with cutting-edge organic farming techniques has proved invaluable, as has his local knowledge of the people and the area.

Laura Kahn, Newsletter
Laura graduated from Hampshire College in 2006 with a BA in Health Science and Journalism, and currently studies medicine. She has worked in a number of international settings, and joined WVI because its model of development can be applied almost anywhere in the world.