About Us

Group of camels with loads on their backs, people standing around, in a dry, mountainous landscape with scattered trees and shrubs.

Lalibela Trust is a registered UK charity No 1147147. The Charity was founded by Dr Hugh Sharp and his wife Catherine following their visit to Lalibela and meeting with Norman and Carol Coward. Hugh was also instrumental in the twinning of Lalibela with the town of Glastonbury in the UK. Lalibela Trust raises funds for its own projects and provides on-site Management for all the projects of the Australian charity, Create Impact. This sharing of management of the two organisations, which are not competing for funds, undoubtedly saves costs and allows more projects to be achieved than would otherwise be possible. Until recently Norman and Carol have worked tirelessly as volunteers for the charity networking, project managing and fundraising but from 2026 have sadly had to take a step down due to illness.

Structure and People

The Lalibela Trust UK team now comprises Michael Arlington - Executive Volunteer and on-site management, Neil Johnson – Chair of trustees. The other trustees are: Rosalind Johnson (acting treasurer), Dr Hugh Sharp, Dr Andrew Sharp, Chris Day and Rachel Gray. Norman Coward and Carole Andrews - Executive volunteers until 2026.

The Ethiopian team comprises Derebe Getaneh overall Project Manager and Hiwot Minlikalew Finance Manager.

The Ethiopia team is small because all construction projects are undertaken by contractors selected from a pool which the Project Manager has identified over the years. These contractors are very loyal and praise Lalibela Trust’s rapid decision-making, constructive comment, and prompt payment.

Create / Impact

Create Impact is an Australian NGO which has been working in and around Lalibela since 2009.
The Lalibela Trust team in Ethiopia manage Create Impact’s projects, which are mainly in Education and Health, alongside their own.   Their Founding Director and Project manager is Georgina Fenton, who visits Ethiopia annually when such travel is permitted.

Meet the Team

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    Neil Johnson

    Chair of Trustees

    After graduating from Drama School, Neil spent ten years working as an Actor in Theatre and Television. He has worked as a producer, consultant & coach in the conference and communications industry, including for the BBC and the Tate Gallery.   Alongside these activities he specialises in coaching public speaking and presentation skills.  In this he has worked with a number of executives of blue-chip companies at board level and also teachers and lawyers. More recently Neil worked as a teacher in both secondary and primary schools.

    Neil keeps abreast of business developments through on-going study with the Open University and Cranfield School of Management.   He achieved the Professional Diploma in Management and a Masters Degree in Business Administration (MBA).

    In 2012, while working at Millfield School in Somerset , Neil met Dr Hugh Sharp, Chairman of Lalibela Trust, and this meeting culminated in him organising 3 School Trips to Lalibela between 2013 and 2015. Since leaving Millfield, Neil and his wife Ros continued to work to support Lalibela Trust and its projects and when Hugh stepped down as Chair of Trustees in 2023, he was delighted take over the day to day running of the Trust.

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    Ros Johnson

    Acting Treasurer

    Ros trained at the UK’s Central School of Speech and Drama as a teacher and voice coach and quickly developed the skills she learnt there to build up a range of clients working in the field of creativity and the generation of ideas.

    She worked in Theatre for 15 years before becoming a teacher. Ros co-founded Naxos Creative jointly with Neil Johnson, which combines their wide range of experiences in developing new creative ideas and ways of working.

    After visiting Lalibela with Neil, she set up the Athena Project there, which identifies and funds the most promising and most needy students in poor, mainly rural, schools to attend the High School in Lalibela town. There they can complete Grades 8 to 12 and hence attend a University or Technical College. The results from Athena are already showing the huge potential of many young Ethiopians, if only they can get the secure food and shelter, books, etc. which Athena provides.

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    Michael Arlington

    Executive Volunteer and onsite management (UK & Ethiopia)

    Michael has, through his friendship with Norman Coward, been aware of the Lalibela Trust for many years.

    He first visited Lalibela in 2018 and has travelled with Norman on all his visits from 2022.

    Michael graduated from Wye College and has worked all his life in the Agriculture industry for NSDO, MMB farm consultancy and eventually for Deloittes.

    He started farming in 1992 and has held a number of (non executive directorships (NED's) in the industry and more recently in the Church of England.

    His farming businesses based in Nottinghamshire produce milk and electricity using an Anaerobic Digester, Wind turbines and Solar panels.

    In addition to volunteering for the Lalibela Trust, Michael founded a small UK charity working with a Northern Ugandan Secondary School. He is married to Alison, has three daughters and seven Grandchildren.

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    Hiwot Minlikalew

    Finance Manager, Ethiopia

    Hiwot has a 4-year diploma in Law and had several roles in local government before qualifying as a Prosecutor.  She manages Lalibela Trust’s bookkeeping and banking.   She also volunteers with a local co-operative as Anti-HIV AIDS Coordinator.

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    Derebe Getaneh

    Project Manager, Ethiopia

    Born in Lalibela, Derebe has a university degree and has managed all our projects since 2011.   He has built a strong reputation for hard work and reliability and is highly respected by all the Department Heads with whom we work.

With thanks

Lalibela Trust Charity would like to acknowledge the huge contribution that Norman and Carol have made to the work of the Trust through their numerous visits to Lalibela, their donations, fundraising and networking over the last 15 years.
Thank you for your dedication and support.

  • A smiling older man with glasses and light-colored hair, wearing a blue shirt.

    Norman Coward

    Retired

    Norman has worked in and around Lalibela since 2000, following careers in agriculture and banking in the UK and USA, finally as Agriculture Director of HSBC Bank.   He visits Lalibela 3-4 times a year, often with Carole Andrews.   He and Carole started working in conjunction with Lalibela Trust in 2012.

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    Carole Andrews

    Retired

    Carole has had a range of Personal Assistant posts in her career, leading to PA to the Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral and finally to Princess Michael of Kent.  She now undertakes administrative work for Lalibela Trust and often visits Lalibela.