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, GORP Director

Naomi Madaga, Administrative Director

Amy, together with her sister, Ashley, founded Grain of Rice Project in 2013. Since then, the group has expanded into a full-time school. Amy oversees training of teachers in literacy and hands-on learning experiences as well as curriculum develop She believes that every student, regardless of background, deserves the opportunity to receive a high quality education. Her hobbies include traveling, drinking coffee, and creating art.

Since 2015, 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 Academy has 15 teachers who help students throughout the day, as well as 3 other staff who work with boarding students in the evenings and on weekends. There are also former graduates of the school who come back to intern and help in classrooms. 

The cooking, grounds, garden, landscaping, custodial, and security responsibilities are managed by eleven other employees. Many hands are needed to care for our student population of over 200 students!

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.