ABOUT

JOHN MATTHEWS

Story

Following a successful career in Hospitality and Corporate Finance, John left his comfortable life as a Finance Director in the Middle East to build schools and educate children in the remote hills of Nepal.

In 2009 John established the charity Children of the Mountain and over the next decade, John and his team raised £700,000, building 65 classrooms across 15 new primary schools, and opening 30 kindergartens. In the process, John created a unique social brand and an innovative student ability-based education development model. Johns journey is engagingly documented in his memoir ‘‘ White Chalk’’.

In 2024, in an effort to reach more children in a more sustainable manner, John adopted StreetChild as his chosen partner for project management in Nepal; He, in turn, expanding his horizons to support projects in Africa and joining the organisation as their representative in Scotland.

Advocacy

John is a vocal advocate for equality of education as a means of providing equality of opportunity and changing lives. He has a particular passion for the education of children and the empowerment of young girls, believing that education is a fundamental human right, and gender equality is inextricably linked to the right of education for all. John is a proactive supporter of UNESCO’s Education 2030 vision.

John uses public speaking, adventurous challenges, writing, and photography, to raise funds and connect individuals & organizations with his chosen causes.

In early 2025 John launched Challenge for Change as a fund-raising initiative to compliment his publiic advocacy.

JOHN’S VALUES:  INTEGRITY, COMPASSION, CURIOSITY, BOLDNESS