John Yearley, Chairman         

John Yearley was born in 1943 and educated at Haileybury College before going on to Imperial College and later the University of the South Bank. He qualified as a mechanical, production and plant engineer before moving into management consultancy and marketing.

A former rugby player he became a rugby coach as well as an athletics coach at international level.

He founded The Yearley Trust in 2005 to support very talented young Bulgarian musicians but on finding out the problems in Nalang and rural Nepal he switched the work of the Trust to improving the education and life in rural Nepal. He is especially interested in the importance of young people having a good education and equal opportunities for girls and women and has been impressed by the community in Nalang’s desire for a better life for their children and in promoting equal opportunities and hopes that the work of the Trust will improve life for everyone in Nalang and the surrounding area.

Doriana Dimitrova,  Director for Europe

Women Empowerment Ambassador for the Trust

Doriana Dimitrova was born in Bulgaria in 1982 and graduated as a Forest Engineer. However her curiosity about the world led her to travel and see other countries. She is now a professional photographer and humanitarian and has had several books of her photos documenting the inspiration that she finds by travel and exploring different cultures and societies published around the world. She currently lives in France, from where she does her work for the Trust.

She was  very impressed by the efforts of the community in Nalang to improve the education and life of their children and especially by their resilience in overcoming the disastrous earthquake in 2015 and was very happy to be invited to become a trustee of The Yearley Trust.

Peter Van Tarel, Sports Program advisor,Team in Europe

Peter is a member of the World Volleyball Federation (FIVB) Development Commission and Development manager at the Dutch Volleyball Federation (Nevobo), one of the world’s leading volleyball countries. He also runs the international Volleyball4Life program. Peter is advising on various sports programs designed to meet the Trust’s objective. He is also President of the new Nalang Olympian Games Society.

Olivia Briend Wooldridge,  Team in Europe 

Women Empowerment Ambassador 

Olivia was born in Brittany, France and after living in England and the Caribbean, she has settled in Antibes South of France where she lives with her 3 children. She is also a photographer and runs a content creation agency. She met Doriana who told her about the Yearley Trust project and was immediately thrilled by the idea of developing the Trust in France and helped in the setting up the Trust as a French charity as well as the English one She will, with Doriana, concentrate on raising money to develop the education of Nepalese women and women’s cooperative societies and raise awareness of women’s rights.

Magali Combard, Ambassador for the Trust , Team in Europe

Magali Combard is a director and joint owner of a leading French Vineyard Figuière and as such is using her expertise to assist the Trust in fundraising for various projects.

She visited Nepal and the village of Nalang in October 2019, together with her mother Gabrielle and is now very passionate to help with the medical camps the Trust is planning for the coming years in rural areas of Nepal.

Tsvetelina Georgieva, Trustee, Team in Europe

Tsvetelina Georgieva is a singer/songwriter musician professionally known as Floralyn George. She was born in Bulgaria in 1996 and stated studying music at the age of four. She studied the Harp and also Singing at The National School of Music and afterwards at The New University in Sofia before, thanks to a scholarship from The Yearley Trust, coming to study in England.  Now living in London she has released her first CD and many of her original songs are available to hear online. She also teaches both singing and also playing the harp.

She is now showing her thanks to the Trust by helping the Trust in its work of supporting  in Nepal.

Shankar Silwal, Director – Medical & Development

in our Team since October 2018

MA Med, BA Public Health, Qualified Paramedic, Health Assistance (General Medicine including dentistry); Shankar is also an expert on Emergency Medicine

Shankar Silwal was born in Dhading in Nepal on 1981. He is the Trust’s representative in Nalang and he has a degree in Public Health Education, a Postgraduate qualification in Humanities and Social Science and also in Health Education. He is also Academic Coordinator at the Nalang Model Academy as well as being a member of various other  local community organisations. It is through Shankar’s efforts that John Yearley and the Trust first became aware of the needs of the Nalang Model Academy and of the community of Nalang 

Rojina Silwal, Executive Director

in our Team since February 2019

Rojina is appointed as Executive Director in overall charge for the Trust’s operations in Nepal. She has special responsibilities for the administration of the office in Nepal and also the welfare of women and girls and promoting equal opportunities in particular.  The Trust is sure that she will be an essential part of the team as she has a strong commitment to improve lives and education of people in rural Nepal.

Ram Silwal, Rural Affairs Advisor

Honorary Member

Ram Silwal , died November 2020, was the inspiration behind the founding of the Nalang Model Academy and Chairman of the School Management Committee from its foundation until his untimely death was a valuable member of the Trust’s team.

Sujana Silwal, Director of Education in Nepal

in our Team since February 2019

The Trust recognises that the young people in Nepal are the future of their country so Sujana Silwal was appointed in February 2019 as the Trust’s Young Person Officer. Sujana’s role is to work with her colleagues to promote all things that assist in the development of young people in her country. Like her colleagues she also has a strong commitment to improving the lives of people in her country.

Ranjana Bartaula, Community Health Assistant in Nepal

in our Team since February 2021

Ranjana is the Trust’s advisor on eye health care and is currently studying in America before returning to Nalang where she will be in charge of community eye health care

Kopila Upreti, Sport Program Officer

in our Team since January 2020

Kopila has just retired from international duty after representing Nepal at the national sport of volleyball for 17 years. She is promoting girls rights through volleyball as well as training teachers in rural schools to be able to coach basic volleyball. She is famous in Nepal and a film about her is being shown in the International Film Festival “Women in Sport”. She has overcome many difficulties in her life and is an inspiration to all women and girls in her country.

Pooja Silwal , English Teaching Ambassador for the Yearley Trust Centre of Excellence

in our Team since October 2019

Pooja Silwal is an experienced an excellent teacher an English speaker and it off with improving the standard of English teaching in schools in rural Nepal. She is also the lead in introducing the iCal teacher training programme into rural schools. She realises that whilst everyone is happy to teach in urban areas few people pay attention to teacher training in rural schools where 90% of the population live. She is determined to address this and help improve teaching of English in rural schools

Santoshi Shrestha, Sports Program Officer

in our Team since January 2020

Nepal’s first ever Gold medal winning athlete at a major games, Santoshi, will be empowering girls through sport as well as developing the concept that participation in sport can help improve health and academic performance. Santoshi combined training for, and winning, the 10,000m gold medal at the recent South Asia games with preparing for a master’s degree public health and also studying for a master’s degree public administration. 

She is now an international recognised half marathon runner.

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Elisha KC,Education Advisor

in our Team since October 2019

MDEVS qualification

Elisha is an inspirational teacher and is an honorary advisor to The Trust on educational matters. She has a degree in Social Engineering and is currently completing her master’s degree on the subject. Elisha will use her experience to help the Trust to improve the standard of education in schools.

Banisha KC, Adviser on Students

in our Team since October 2019

Binisha is an outstanding pupil based in the city of Pokhara and is the special advisor to The Trust on student matters. She works part time advising on student matters and as a researcher on behalf of The Trust on Special Needs pupils and will move to Nalang when she has completed her studies in Pokhara

Manita Silwal, Teacher in Residence

in our Team since October 2020

Manita Silwal comes from Nalang but has been studying for a degree in Business Studies at University in Kathmandu and whilst doing so been spending time teaching at a school there so she is an experienced teacher. Her degree studies are now at the point that she can complete her studies at Nalang only having to return to Kathmandu for formal exams. She has been appointed the Trust’s “Teacher in Residence” at Nalang from October 1st 2020 and is assisting Pooja Silwal with the work of training teachers of English in rural Nepal using the well proven American NGO Ical’s teacher training program

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You can find The Yearley Trust Code of Conduct here.

The Yearley Trust is an English Charity No 1136219