Who we are
Started by a teacher, grown by a community
Seedlight began in 2015 when a primary school teacher in Jos started paying fees for three girls in her class. Today we work in seven local government areas across Plateau State.
Our story
Three girls, then three hundred
Nanret Dakum noticed that the brightest girls in her class were the first to stop coming when fees were due.
She paid for three of them from her own salary. Parents and colleagues joined in, and by 2017 a small group of friends had registered Seedlight as a charity. Water came next, because girls were missing school to fetch it.
We still keep our office small and our staff local. Most of our team grew up in the communities we serve.
Our values
What guides us
Simple promises we try to keep every day.
Communities lead
We work where we are invited, with people who will carry the work on.
Honest reporting
We publish what we spend and what changed, including what did not work.
Dignity first
Stories are shared with consent, and children's faces only with their family's permission.
Milestones
Ten years of small steps
Highlights from our journey so far.
Three girls, one teacher
Fees paid for three girls in a Jos North primary school.
Registered as a charity
A board of trustees and our first office on Rayfield Road.
First solar borehole
A water point for a primary school near Bassa.
Teacher training begins
Workshops with the local education authority in Barkin Ladi.
Seven local government areas
Programmes across Jos North, Jos South, Bassa, Barkin Ladi, Riyom, Bokkos and Mangu.
Our team
People behind the work
A team of 26, most of them from Plateau State.
Dr Nanret Dakum
Founder and director
Ishaku Pam
Head of programmes
Rifkatu Gyang
Girls in school lead
Elder Davou Choji
Chair of trustees
Governance
Accountable to you
An independent board of seven trustees meets every quarter. Our accounts are audited each year and published on the impact page.
- Audited accounts every year
- Safeguarding policy and trained focal persons
- Donor funds kept in a separate account
Where each ₦1,000 goes
| Programmes in communities | ₦840 |
| Fundraising and reporting | ₦90 |
| Running the office | ₦70 |
Example figures for this demo.