TikTok is a relatively new platform, but it is already so integrated in most of our daily lives. You can’t miss the (in)famous TikTok dances, songs and challenges. While TikTok lets you indulge in a variety of entertainment, it can also serve a brighter cause. Dora Moono Nyambe is a TikToker who found a smart way of using TikTok as a way to bring awareness to her village in need. Who is Dora Moono Nyambe and how did she get popular on TikTok?

The story of Dora Moono Nyambe

Dora Moono Nyambe was a teacher in China and when visiting Mapapa in Zambia, she was horrified with the conditions people lived in. There was an outstanding amount of poverty in the village, which caused a lot of people to live in hunger and without access to clean, potable water. Dora almost instantly started her school in the village. Dora also isn’t a stranger to teaching children. Before moving to Mapapa, she was a primary school teacher in China with a specialization in English literature. 

Because of the GoFundMe page, Dora was able to clothe, feed, provide healthcare and rescue child brides.

The start of the school in the village didn’t go easy. Before having a school building, she would teach children under a tree. After a couple of months she finally had the funds to build a mud hut, which couldn’t take the rain and it got washed down after a few months. Her daughter introduced her to TikTok and this is where she started to make videos about her life. She created the TikTok account in March 2018, but it took 2 years before the account finally took off. After she gained a lot of attention, viewers were moved by her videos and wanted to help out. This is when Dora created her GoFundMe page for the village. Because of TikTok Dora was able to meet people that helped with the building of a proper school. 

From a mud hut to a real school building 

Because of the donations and attention from TikTok, she also was able to put four water pumps in the village, which meant that the village finally had access to safe and clean water. There is also a safe house for children that don’t have a safe place to live. The villagers of Mapapa gained a lot of resources because of the TikTok support. Because of the GoFundMe page, Dora was able to clothe, feed, provide healthcare and rescue child brides. The village of Mapapa is a brighter place now. The school of Dora Moon Nyame doesn’t only provide education but it also provides free lunches for the children. This is a massive deal because a lot of children have grown up without access to food. More access to food is also a good thing for stopping child marriages. Some families will sell their daughters for marriage for money, so that they can buy food for their other children. With enough access to primary needs, this can be avoided.

While it is a noble cause, not everyone and everything goes viral on the internet. Dora has a smart way of creating urgency. She uploads interviews with children and shows how the contribution of the followers is benefitting the children. This is a smart way of raising funds, because most of the time people donate, they don’t know where their money is going. Dora does this differently and makes sure through her TikTok videos everyone that is donating knows where the money is going.

First a joke, now a big deal

Dora didn’t expect to be this viral on TikTok, and this shows because right now she has 2.9 million followers and 83.6 million likes. This means that she is wildly popular on TikTok. The interesting thing is that this shows a new way of raising funds through social media. Issues that are happening in the world often seem far away, but Dora shows stories of people struggling in a non-demanding way. Often you see this TikTok on your for you page which makes you more likely to keep watching. This way of raising funds for a charity showcases a new way of gathering money for a cause. It shows that TikTok can be really powerful and can be used in very different ways. When used properly it can make you go viral which can help you reach your goals. TikTok was often seen as a joke in the beginning but when a TikToker like Dora can show you that you can raise $145,000 for a cause, it tells you a hopeful story. It shows that TikTok is a great medium to showcase many different stories and sometimes even in the most powerful way. This is hopeful because it shows that things can change even if it is small changes happening at once. Sometimes you just need one viral video to transform your whole life, and in Dora’s case, her whole village.

Cover: Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Edited by Carolina Alves