Alex Tuck '05 fights poverty, founds People Helping People Global
May 30, 2014
Profiles of Service: Alex Tuck '05, Fairfax, Vermont; President & Executive Director - People Helping People Global
Alex is one of the founders of People Helping People Global (PHPG), a Vermont-based organization that provides individuals with the tools necessary to eliminate the suffering that they and their families are experiencing due to extreme poverty. PHPG partners with locals and their communities to reduce poverty in their impoverished regions. Alex oversees the organization's overall operation, in the United States and Nicaragua.
"In 2009, I partnered with a small team of individuals to start a non-profit that focused on international development. After many months of research and planning, we decided to make micro-lending in Central America our primary focus. We work with families where the members live on less than two U.S. dollars per day. The leaders of the families - typically single mothers - submit simple business plans and form lending groups. In April, we distributed our 500th business loan. After five years of service, we have seen significant changes in the lives of individuals who have received loans and the communities where we work."
"One of the major reasons that I chose to attend Roanoke was the strong focus on service and community building. I'll never forget [Center for Civic Engagement Director] Jesse Griffin's Potato Drop during my first week at Roanoke. I still wear the bright orange shirt that we got at orientation. The constant focus and opportunity to serve the community at Roanoke is a huge reason why I chose the path that I did with PHPG."
"While all of my professors at Roanoke pressed for high quality, Dr. Robert Stauffer and the late Dr. Darryl Lowry of the economics department really embodied this aspect of the College for me. They demanded the highest standards in all of the work we did. I've taken that influence and applied it to my daily life. PHPG wouldn't be where it is today if it weren't for the lessons that I learned back in those hallowed halls."