About Us
Established in 2010, Riley Orton Foundation Org (ROF) works to bridge the gender gap in STEM education by providing high school and college scholarships, mentorship, and hands-on STEM learning opportunities to girls and boys from rural and informal settlements in western Kenya to enable them to break systemic barriers that hold them back from accessing high quality education and achieving their full potential.
Our flagship project, THE AKILI STEMarts Academy & Vocational Education Center equips rural girls with science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) skills, fostering confidence and career readiness. We partner with local schools to establish STEM clubs, run STEM Boot Camps and provide teacher training on STEM pedagogy to empower them to integrate emerging technologies like robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) into local curriculum.
Beyond STEM education, ROF advances gender equity by addressing barriers that hinder rural girls from accessing and completing their education. Many of these girls face challenges such as a lack of basic school supplies, menstrual health insecurity, and economic hardships that sometimes force them into transactional relationships for essentials like food, sanitary pads, or transportation to school. Through menstrual health and HIV/AIDS awareness programs, we ensure girls stay in school without stigma or disruption. Our vocational training in garment making, digital literacy, and AI-driven content creation equips out-of-school girls with essential job skills. Additionally, we provide school uniforms and bicycles to improve enrollment, retention, and primary-to-secondary transition rates for both girls and boys.
Through our holistic approach, ROF has impacted thousands of rural girls and young women, ensuring they have the knowledge, skills, and opportunities to thrive in a technology-driven world.
Our flagship project, THE AKILI STEMarts Academy & Vocational Education Center equips rural girls with science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) skills, fostering confidence and career readiness. We partner with local schools to establish STEM clubs, run STEM Boot Camps and provide teacher training on STEM pedagogy to empower them to integrate emerging technologies like robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) into local curriculum.
Beyond STEM education, ROF advances gender equity by addressing barriers that hinder rural girls from accessing and completing their education. Many of these girls face challenges such as a lack of basic school supplies, menstrual health insecurity, and economic hardships that sometimes force them into transactional relationships for essentials like food, sanitary pads, or transportation to school. Through menstrual health and HIV/AIDS awareness programs, we ensure girls stay in school without stigma or disruption. Our vocational training in garment making, digital literacy, and AI-driven content creation equips out-of-school girls with essential job skills. Additionally, we provide school uniforms and bicycles to improve enrollment, retention, and primary-to-secondary transition rates for both girls and boys.
Through our holistic approach, ROF has impacted thousands of rural girls and young women, ensuring they have the knowledge, skills, and opportunities to thrive in a technology-driven world.
Who We Serve
We serve marginalized rural communities in Kisumu and Siaya counties in Kenya, with a strong focus on empowering girls, women, orphans, and vulnerable children (OVCs) through education, economic opportunities, and life skills training. The communities we support face deep-rooted socio-economic challenges, including poverty, limited access to quality education, gender-based violence (GBV), high HIV/AIDS prevalence, and economic vulnerability. These challenges disproportionately affect girls, who often struggle to stay in school due to a lack of basic necessities such as mandatory school uniforms, sanitary pads, and school supplies. In desperate situations, some girls and young women resort to transactional sex to afford food, menstrual hygiene products, or transportation/lifts to school, further exposing them to HIV infection, early pregnancies, and exploitation.
The education system in rural Kenya remains unequal, with urban students advancing in well-equipped digital STEM labs and maker spaces while their rural counterparts, especially girls, are left behind. Many rural schools lack technology, internet access, STEM labs, and qualified STEM teachers, making it difficult for students to gain the skills needed for the modern workforce. Rural teachers, too, lack the training and resources to deliver STEAM and AI literacy, leaving students unprepared for opportunities in science, technology, and digital innovation.
Additionally, out-of-school youth, particularly rural girls and young women, face extreme economic vulnerability. With limited job opportunities and no access to job-readiness training, many struggle to become financially independent. The gig economy, digital entrepreneurship, and AI-powered content creation remain out of reach for those without basic digital literacy and business skills, preventing them from benefiting from new economic opportunities.
The education system in rural Kenya remains unequal, with urban students advancing in well-equipped digital STEM labs and maker spaces while their rural counterparts, especially girls, are left behind. Many rural schools lack technology, internet access, STEM labs, and qualified STEM teachers, making it difficult for students to gain the skills needed for the modern workforce. Rural teachers, too, lack the training and resources to deliver STEAM and AI literacy, leaving students unprepared for opportunities in science, technology, and digital innovation.
Additionally, out-of-school youth, particularly rural girls and young women, face extreme economic vulnerability. With limited job opportunities and no access to job-readiness training, many struggle to become financially independent. The gig economy, digital entrepreneurship, and AI-powered content creation remain out of reach for those without basic digital literacy and business skills, preventing them from benefiting from new economic opportunities.
Our Founding Story
The Riley Orton Foundation (ROF) was born from a deep desire to give back. Our founder, David Omondi, grew up in the Obunga slum in Kisumu, Kenya, where access to quality education was a privilege few could afford. Thanks to the generosity of well-wishers who believed in his potential, David received a life-changing education. But when he graduated from college, he knew his journey wasn’t just about his success, it was about creating opportunities for others.
Determined to uplift children facing the same struggles he once did, David returned to Obunga and established Akili Library in 2010, an after-school study center where children could access books, receive homework support, and dream beyond their circumstances. Seeing how deeply girls were impacted by educational barriers, he founded the Akili School, an all-girls primary school ensuring they had equal opportunities to learn and thrive.
Determined to uplift children facing the same struggles he once did, David returned to Obunga and established Akili Library in 2010, an after-school study center where children could access books, receive homework support, and dream beyond their circumstances. Seeing how deeply girls were impacted by educational barriers, he founded the Akili School, an all-girls primary school ensuring they had equal opportunities to learn and thrive.
Riley Orton
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David Omondi
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As David and his team worked to register their organization as a Kenyan nonprofit in 2013, inspiration struck from an unexpected source; an 8-year-old boy named Riley Orton from Sonoma County, California, USA.
David came across a Facebook post about Riley, who had been raising books, school supplies, and funds for African children since he was just five years old. What amazed David and his team wasn’t just the generosity of this young boy, but his deep awareness of global inequalities at such a young age. While they had taken years of education and life experiences to realize the importance of giving back, here was Riley proving that age, wealth, or power were not prerequisites for change. All it took was a willing heart and action.
Deeply moved, David reached out to Riley and his parents. He learned that Riley had started small; donating his own pens and books, organizing supply drives, selling salamis, and rallying support for underserved students. That spirit of determination and generosity became the foundation of our work. With the blessing of Riley and his family, the organization was named the Riley Orton Foundation to honor his incredible impact and carry forward his legacy of hope and action.
Today, ROF is at the forefront of transforming education for underserved children, especially girls, through STEM and AI-powered learning. We work hand in hand with local schools, teachers, and communities to break barriers to education and equip young minds with the skills they need to thrive in the modern world. From one child’s act of kindness to a movement empowering thousands, ROF is proof that real change starts with those willing to act.
David came across a Facebook post about Riley, who had been raising books, school supplies, and funds for African children since he was just five years old. What amazed David and his team wasn’t just the generosity of this young boy, but his deep awareness of global inequalities at such a young age. While they had taken years of education and life experiences to realize the importance of giving back, here was Riley proving that age, wealth, or power were not prerequisites for change. All it took was a willing heart and action.
Deeply moved, David reached out to Riley and his parents. He learned that Riley had started small; donating his own pens and books, organizing supply drives, selling salamis, and rallying support for underserved students. That spirit of determination and generosity became the foundation of our work. With the blessing of Riley and his family, the organization was named the Riley Orton Foundation to honor his incredible impact and carry forward his legacy of hope and action.
Today, ROF is at the forefront of transforming education for underserved children, especially girls, through STEM and AI-powered learning. We work hand in hand with local schools, teachers, and communities to break barriers to education and equip young minds with the skills they need to thrive in the modern world. From one child’s act of kindness to a movement empowering thousands, ROF is proof that real change starts with those willing to act.
