Our Staff

Our objective is to have Kenyans lead all of our projects in Kenya so that we can better understand the needs of the community and genuinely empower the people. Our staff members are incredibly passionate about the people we serve in each program.

Meet Our Kenyan Team:

Amy Back, Organization Director & Naomi Madaga, Administrative Director

Together with her sister, Ashley, Amy founded the Grain of Rice Project in 2013. The group has expanded into a full-time school since then. Amy assists with school programming, marketing, and fundraising in addition to training teachers in literacy and experiential learning techniques. She thinks that every student, regardless of background, should have the chance to acquire a top-notch education. Her hobbies include traveling and drinking coffee.

For almost ten years, Naomi has served in a variety of roles at Grain of Rice Project. She currently manages our office and is in charge of Grain of Rice Academy’s human resources and bookkeeping. Naomi always brings new ideas to the table, works tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure the success of all our initiatives, and has a servant’s heart.

Additionally, Grain of Rice has 14 teachers who help students throughout the day, as well as 3 teachers who stay with students after school to help with students who board.

The cooking, grounds, garden, landscaping, custodial, and security responsibilities are managed by nine other employees.

U.S. Based Operations:

Rose Roberts, Inventory and Sales Manager

Rose is our stateside inventory and sales manager. Originally from Pennsylvania, Rose and her family now live in Brookville, Indiana. Rose has a background in education and helped to develop our mid-level English curriculum used at Grain of Rice Academy. She visited Kenya in 2011 while in graduate school and came to see Grain of Rice Academy in 2024.  She has a passion for helping those around her thrive in their day to day lives.