Under a Zambian Tree is the inspiring and emotional account of one woman's quest to educate and empower rural village children. Dora Moono Nyambe—or "Teacher Dora"—began with no funding and no school building, just an unwavering belief that kindness should drive humanity and development.
At twenty-seven years old, Dora took her meager savings and moved to a remote village in Zambia. She built a mud hut and started teaching children underneath a tree. Three years later, she had saved over 200 children from abuse, forced marriage, rape, and neglect.
From preventing child marriages and navigating village politics to reaching millions of supporters online, Teacher Dora's epic journey from a mud hut to a full-fledged boarding school is a testament to her incredible resilience and tenacity. Proceeds from the first 5,000 copies directly support Footprints of Hope.
Dora Moono Nyambe is a UN-recognized global education and girls' rights advocate from Lusaka, Zambia. She founded Footprints of Hope, a nonprofit providing free education, food, and housing to 180–200 students in Mapapa.
The organization serves children who are victims of abuse, child marriage, rape, and neglect. What started with teaching under a tree has grown into a boarding school with 12 classrooms, a dining hall, library, computer lab, dormitories, and safe houses—all built without government or institutional funding.
Dora's advocacy has garnered global attention, amassing over 4 million followers on TikTok. In October 2022, she was a keynote speaker at the United Nations International Day of the Girl Child in Istanbul, Turkey.
Joseph Schmitt is an American writer, ecotourism researcher, and expedition traveler. Born and raised in Kohler, Wisconsin, he attended Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts.
In 2021, Joseph was awarded the prestigious Fulbright Research Grant to conduct ecotourism research in Zambia. When he visited a village school for impoverished children while on his Fulbright scholarship, he expected to spend a pleasant day with teachers and students before resuming his study of ecotourism. Instead, he ended up spending a year shadowing the school's founder, Dora Moono Nyambe, and writing a book chronicling her experiences.
After witnessing Nyambe's work firsthand, Schmitt felt her impact wasn't receiving adequate recognition. He spent hundreds of hours interviewing and shadowing her while completing his research. He went on to become a Schwarzman Scholar, earning his master's degree at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. Today, he continues to conduct research, write, and seek adventure.
Dora and Joseph have been invited to speak about Under a Zambian Tree and the power of education at universities across the United States.
