Mwele Malecela Days of Action (Mwele-DOA) is a community-driven public health initiative designed to strengthen leadership, advocacy, and local ownership in the fight against Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) in Tanzania. The programme supports communities, young leaders, people affected by NTDs, and frontline health workers to become champions of prevention, early detection, and integrated care.
NTDs form part of the broader Universal Health Coverage agenda and are closely linked with environmental health, sexual and reproductive health, water, sanitation and hygiene, and gender equity. Mwele-DOA aligns with the WHO NTD Roadmap and promotes a One Health approach that embeds NTD responses within existing health systems rather than treating them as stand-alone vertical programmes.
The programme is named in honour of the late Dr. Mwele Malecela, a Tanzanian leader and former Director of the WHO Department for Neglected Tropical Diseases, whose life’s work demonstrated that strong leadership, community empowerment, and evidence-based advocacy are essential to eliminating NTDs.
2025: Laying the Foundation for Community Action
The inaugural year of Mwele-DOA in 2025 focused on grassroots engagement and youth-driven advocacy. Through a network of 20 volunteer NTD Champions, the program:
2026: A Strategic Focus on Schistosomiasis and Female Genital Schistosomiasis (FGS)
Building on this strong foundation, the 2026 edition of Mwele-DOA will operate under the theme: “Communities Leading the Fight Against NTDs.” The program focuses on schistosomiasis, one of Tanzania’s most persistent NTDs, while shining a spotlight on Female Genital Schistosomiasis (FGS) a neglected and underdiagnosed condition affecting over 56 million women and girls across Sub-Saharan Africa. Women and girlss with FGS have a three times reisk of acquiring HIV anf two times higher risk for human papilloma virus (HPV), which is a primary cause of cervical cancer. FGS can also lead to inferility, miscarriage, and stillbirth. FGS is treatable and preventable
FGS is often misdiagnosed as a sexually transmitted infection or cervical cancer, resulting in stigma, delayed treatment and avoidable suffering.
Mwele-DOA 2026 will work to:
Through education, evidence generation, and systems integration, the program aims to transform how schistosomiasis and FGS are understood and addressed in Tanzania.
Why Mwele-DOA Matters
Mwele-DOA is grounded in the belief that sustainable elimination of NTDs can only be achieved when communities are informed, empowered, and supported by responsive health systems. By placing people affected at the centre, strengthening local capacity, and championing integrated care, the program complements Tanzania’s national NTD elimination efforts and contributes to the global push to end NTDs.
Support the Mwele Malecela Days of Action
Your donation or sponsorship will directly support community education, training of health workers, production of educational materials, and outreach activities for schistosomiasis and Female Genital Schistosomiasis.
For more information, support and partnership please contact:
Dr. Kuduishe Kisowile
Program Coordinator – Mwele Malecela Days of Action
One Health Society
Email: kuduishe@ohs-health.org
