Our Founders

The Yaqar Project was founded by two sisters who first conceptualized the project in Fall of 2017 and who spent many evenings meeting and developing ideas over the following eighteen months until the project was launched in 2019 when their brother pushed them forward. At the time it was initially conceived, Jessica Aubert, was a mother, an Architect, and a wife, and Natalie Schweizer was a college student. They came together with a shared desire to have some impact or to do something meaningful and fulfilling, each from a very different stage of life.

The Yaqar Project became the place where this would be made possible, not just for them, but for everyone. It was the idea of a network to unite people in a mission to help hurting children, so that even someone unable to travel, who may feel they have skill or time to offer could do something impactful by becoming an important link in a chain that will reach a child on the other side of the world.

Jessica Aubert

Founder & Chief Executive Officer

Jessica is a licensed Architect, an entrepreneur, a wife, and a mother of three. Jessica has felt drawn to orphan care since her first short term mission’s trip to Ukraine in 2003. Throughout high school and college, Jessica continued to take short term trips to the orphanages in Donetsk Ukraine and fell in love with the children she met within the walls of the orphanages. She sought out their stories and carried them in her heart long after she left. She pursued Architecture in intention of acquiring a useful skillset for humanitarian work and continued to travel after she married, craving the experience of new cultures and enjoying learning the rhythm and lifestyle of new places. Following the adoption of her son in 2017, after spending many weeks in his birth country with her family, Jessica brought up a dream of doing more to her sister Natalie, and eventually the Yaqar Project was born. Jessica loves Connection Trips and meeting new organizations in the Yaqar Project community, and loves any chance to bring smiles and laughter to the children they work with. Jessica believes that every child was created with a purpose and a plan, and works tirelessly to try to bring this confidence and joy to as many children as she can. Jessica currently lives on a small hobby farm with her husband and homeschools her children. She still loves her Architectural business, but enjoys even more pouring her time into The Yaqar Project as CEO and facilitating its growth.

Natalie Schweizer

Founder & Chief Operating Officer

Natalie Schweizer is a videographer with a bachelor’s degree in Digital Media from Lee University, currently studying for her Master’s in Counseling. Natalie is currently a coach at a short-term residential treatment center for teen boys. She is passionate about the outdoors and spends a lot of her time hiking, climbing, biking and exploring. She and her sister Jessica began conceptualizing The Yaqar Project while Natalie was in her final years of her undergraduate degree and looking for a fulfilling way to use her passion for videography. Natalie was part of the first Yaqar Project trip, a connection trip to India, and has since used her skills to tell the stories of the Yaqar Project community members. While Jessica brought to the project a focus on orphan care, Natalie brought the idea of community and diversity and of strength in unity. Natalie is passionate about discovering and understanding the personality traits and communication styles of others and ensuring that volunteers understand that The Yaqar Project was created to allow them to use their unique gifts and skills in their unique capacity. Natalie is currently enjoying her work in counseling and pursuing a degree to advance her knowledge in psychology, and continuing to enjoy big outdoor adventures.