Blessing Bassey Is Building Stronger Foundations for Children Through Education and Creativity

For Blessing Bassey, working with children has never been confined to the classroom.

Over the years, she has taught young children, managed school operations, supported early childhood programmes, volunteered in education-focused initiatives and built a creative venture producing books and resources for children.

At the centre of it all is a simple but powerful interest: how can we create better experiences and opportunities for children?

Blessing studied Educational Administration at the University of Lagos, and her career reflects an unusual combination of education, administration, creativity and service.

That combination is particularly evident in The Kindlers Hub, the venture she founded around her interest in children and creativity. Through Kindlers, Blessing designs and publishes books for children aged 3–7, curates educational resources and gift packs for children’s events, and works with suppliers and manufacturers to bring her ideas to life.

Her creativity also finds expression in her writing. Blessing has authored children’s books and activity resources that reflect her interest in making learning engaging, meaningful and enjoyable for young readers.

Among her works is Day by Day, a children’s book that combines relatable stories, faith, virtues, prayers, scriptures and fun activities, encouraging young readers to reflect, grow and appreciate everyday moments. She has also created Olivia Goes to the Beach, a colouring activity book that takes children on a beach adventure through creativity and imagination.

Her work also includes Christmas activity books for children and a Back to School Guide for Parents, extending her creative work beyond stories to resources that support children and the adults who care for them.

For Blessing, writing is therefore not separate from her work in education. It is another way of reaching children.

But what I find particularly interesting about Blessing is that she could have left education completely.

Even with the many hats she wears as an entrepreneur, educator, administrator, writer and creative, her first love has continued to be children and education. That, for me, is one of the most interesting things about her story.

She still finds time to write for children. She still writes books. She still creates. She still does the work.

And I think that says something.

Because if it were only about money, perhaps she would have chosen differently. The educational space is not necessarily the easiest place to build a life, and there are certainly other things someone with Blessing’s range of gifts could pursue. But there is something about children, education and writing that continues to pull her back.

It is the heart.

The heart for children.

Sometimes, purpose is not necessarily the thing you are most capable of doing. Sometimes, it is the thing your heart keeps bringing you back to.

For Blessing, that has continued to be children.

Her connection to service also goes back much further than her professional career.

Her volunteering journey began while she was still at the University of Lagos, where she was part of the founding team of Beyond the Classroom Foundation. What began as a student’s commitment to serving children grew into a relationship with the organisation that has continued for more than a decade.

Since 2011, she has remained involved in the organisation’s work to support children, including initiatives that provided basic school supplies to children in public primary schools.

That early experience is important to understanding Blessing’s story. Long before she became a teacher, founded The Kindlers Hub or began working professionally in early childhood education, she was already giving her time to children.

Her professional experience has since taken her through different aspects of education. As a preschool teacher, she planned and delivered EYFS-based lessons, created child-centred learning environments, tracked children’s progress and adapted her teaching methods to meet individual and special needs.

She has also worked behind the scenes, gaining experience in school administration and the systems that support education. Her responsibilities have included staff recruitment and training, school policies and procedures, scheduling, records, resources and relationships with parents and stakeholders.

Today, that experience continues to shape her work in early childhood education. At Early Stage Builders, Blessing supports administrative processes, research, programme planning and the development of training resources and practical learning materials for educators and caregivers. Her work contributes to initiatives focused on family, school and church support, with an emphasis on early childhood education, caregiver capacity and child development.

She has also continued to deepen her knowledge in the field through training in safeguarding and child protection, learning through play, EYFS teaching and design challenge learning.

Her commitment to service has also grown into leadership. During the Ultimate Upcycle Challenge with Science Ambassador Foundation, Blessing worked with the board to shape the project’s vision and mission, developed project briefs, supervised a team of 15 volunteers and coordinated the participation of 134 teachers from 67 schools in Lagos State.

When her journey is viewed as a whole, the different pieces begin to connect. Her education informs her work with children. Her experience in the classroom informs the resources she creates. Her administrative background gives her an understanding of the systems around learning, while years of volunteering have kept service close to the centre of her work.

And then there is her creativity, which gives her another avenue through which to reach children.

This is why The Kindlers Hub feels like a natural extension of Blessing’s journey. It brings together her interest in education, her love for children, her writing and creative abilities, and her desire to create things that children can learn from and enjoy.

Blessing has many gifts, and those gifts could take her in many directions. But over the years, one thing has remained remarkably consistent: she keeps choosing to use them around children.

For Blessing, working with children has never been confined to the classroom. It has become a way of life, expressed through the books she writes, the resources she creates, the educators and caregivers she supports, the communities she serves and the ventures she builds.

And perhaps that is what happens when talent meets purpose: the possibilities may be many, but the heart knows where it wants to stay.