Biography
Dr. Noely Mapunda was born in the heart of Ugano, a quiet and deeply traditional indigenous village nestled within the hills of Southern Tanzania. In a community where healing was often a communal ritual and illness bore the weight of silence, Noely’s earliest experiences were shaped not by abundance, but by loss. One of the most defining moments of his life occurred before he could even form full sentences—his twin brother passed away due to severe malnutrition, a wound that would haunt, fuel, and shape his life’s mission. Born into a world where medical care was distant and often denied to the poor, he grew up watching elders use herbs, chants, and collective prayer to attempt healing. These sacred but limited rituals sparked his earliest curiosities about what more could be done to heal.
Raised by a resilient mother who believed in education as a way out of suffering, Noely became the first in his family to attend secondary school. The trauma of his brother's death, the whispered stories of preventable illnesses, and the collective pain of his village were the foundations of his dream: to become a healer—not just of bodies, but of systems. From a young age, Noely would walk long distances to fetch water, attend overcrowded classrooms, and work part-time to pay for school fees. Yet, every hardship solidified his resolve: no other child should suffer simply because they were born poor, remote, or forgotten.
AWARDS & RECOGNITION
In 2018, Dr. Noely became the first Tanzanian selected for the Clinton Global Initiative University. Since then, his contributions have earned him global recognition:
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International Humanitarian Award (2023) – Berlin, Germany, the first Tanzanian to receive this honor.
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International Volunteerism Award (2023) – Moscow, Russia, again as the first Tanzanian recipient.
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Recognized by G7 Global Solutions Summit, ONE Young World, MINDS, USAID, YALI, and the African Union Youth Division (AUY) for his work in public health, youth empowerment, and climate justice.
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Invited speaker at over 40 international conferences, including panels on climate-health intersection, post-conflict medical care, and youth-led health innovations.
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Founder of Healing for Hope Foundation and awarded regional fellowships to lead programs in Sudan, Malawi, and the DRC.
INITIATIVES
Dr. Noely has pioneered several initiatives that combine indigenous knowledge, medical innovation, and climate consciousness. In 2018 he founded One of his life saving initiative the "Healing Festivals," Swahili known as NITIBU a multi-native languages initiative that find and treat the poorest citizens-all wrapped in community celebration and cultural expression.
Another major initiative is the "NONO a house-to-house climate resilient nutritious gardening combating malnutrition the leading cause of death for under 5.
Noely also co-founded the "Refugee Climate Health Alliance," a network that brings together climate scientists, health workers, and community organizers to design health responses in refugee camps. His programs prioritize local leadership, youth involvement, and evidence-based intervention.
EDUCATION
In 2013, Dr. Noely Mapunda’s relentless pursuit of knowledge led him to Bugando University College of Health Sciences (CUHAS) in northwestern Tanzania, one of the country's premier institutions for medical training. For Noely, gaining admission was not just a personal achievement—it was a victory for every child in Ugano.
At Bugando, he stood out not only for his academic excellence but also for his unwavering commitment to underserved communities. While many of his classmates dreamed of high-paying positions in urban hospitals, Noely was already drawing up plans to serve the rural, the displaced, and the forgotten. He graduated in 2019 as a Doctor of Medicine with a specialization in child health and emergency response. During his university years, he founded student-led outreach programs targeting indigenous communities for malnutrition screening and first-aid education. He was also a leading advocate for reforming public health education to incorporate climate change and humanitarian crises—topics then still considered niche in Tanzanian medical curricula.
His passion did not go unnoticed. He was selected for various international student fellowships, where he raised the voice of the Global South in conversations
CARRIER
Dr Noely Mapunda has charted an unconventional path that blends clinical care with humanitarian work. As a trained medical doctor, he has served on the frontlines of crises that most people only read about in headlines. He volunteered with Doctors Without Borders in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi, providing life-saving surgeries to children caught in the web of malnutrition, disease, and armed conflict. His ability to connect with communities, speak local dialects, and understand indigenous health beliefs made him a uniquely effective and compassionate doctor.
Dr. Noely's career is deeply rooted in service. In Tanzania, he has led over 200 mobile clinics and emergency medical missions in rural and refugee areas, often at personal risk and little to no pay. He also trains rural health workers in climate-resilient health systems and emergency preparedness. As a volunteer, he is tireless. His work with Healing Festivals—multi-day community health campaigns blending medical treatment with cultural rituals and climate education—has touched thousands. He has conducted surgeries in makeshift tents and treated children in areas where basic hygiene was considered a luxury. For Noely, healing is not just a profession—it’s a sacred duty.
Main Focus
Dr. Noely believes that the health of the world’s most vulnerable cannot be understood outside the triad of climate, conflict, and care. His philosophy is simple: if we continue to treat illness without treating the systems that produce it, we will always be one step behind. In his work, he has witnessed how climate disasters exacerbate food insecurity, how war dismantles healthcare infrastructure, and how silence perpetuates preventable death
"Healing begins when every voice is heard — in every mother tongue, at every doorstep.
" Courtesy of Dr. Noely Mapunda, 2020 at his Healing Point Project
by healing festivals (NITIBU)