Philanthropist and Tiktoker Dora Moono Nyambe’s Death Leaves Her Community Wanting Answers

Educator and philanthropist Dora Moono Nyambe found TikTok fame by showing the reality she faced in Africa's capital city, Zambia's rural community, Mapapa. Since 2019, Dora used her advocacy on social media to raise money from donors worldwide to start her school, Footprints of Hope Mapapa. The school expanded into a campus serving more than 350 through her work. Additionally, Dora used her platforms to share her life as a mother to her 13 children, all of whom she adopted as an unmarried woman.

In December 2024, it was confirmed on Dora's TikTok account that she died at the age of 32. Her death shocked many of the supporters who had seen her post on her platform just three days before she died. Here's everything we know about what happened to Dora.

Dora's death was announced by her best friend and "right hand," Tandiwe, who also teaches at Fountains of Hope. Tandiwe shared in a video posted on Dec. 26, 2024, that she passed away on Christmas Day 2024.

"I'm here officially announcing the loss of my beloved CEO, director, manager, and founder of Footprints of Hope school, who died on Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024."

Tandiwe also confirmed that Dora was buried at her school on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024. After launching her school in 2019, the influencer remained dedicated to ensuring the children she served were safe and protected from the growing rates of poverty and childhood abuse many in the area have endured. Her work made national news when her posts about the school and her children went viral on TikTok.

In 2024, fellow TikTok star Mr. Beast caught wind of what Dora was doing and offered to help through his organization, Beast Philanthropy. According to E! News, the org helped raise funds to bring electricity to Nyambe’s Mapapa school and later helped rebuild a damaged dorm during a storm.

Soon after Dora's death was announced, many people familiar with her work wanted to know the details regarding what may have caused her death. Several commenters were worried she was killed due to her advocacy work. As of this writing, the direct cause of her death is unknown, though one of her employees said that "low blood pressure" contributed to her demise. However, it's unclear what prompted Dora's symptoms.

On Dec. 26, the day after the influencer's death, Mubanga Gravies, a teacher at her school, stated he was with her the night before she died. He told African news site Kalemba News that she had gathered with her staff and children to celebrate Christmas. Dora's colleague said she "never complained of being sick or feeling ill" but took herself to a nearby clinic on Christmas morning after passing out multiple times the night before. She was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Although Dora's colleague seemingly confirmed how she died, her team hasn't. In a post from January 2025 regarding her death, the person managing her TikTok warned her supporters against people looking to "exploit" her tragedy and linked to donation sites for her projects, "Bus for the Students of Mapapa" and Beast Philanthropy. However, Dora's team didn't mention how she died.

Rest well, beautiful soul!