Ofélia joined the Namati team in January of 2015. Born in Ilha de Moçambique, a small island off the coast of northern Mozambique, Ofélia has been working in the health sector since 2003. Her career began with the Associação Moçambicana para Desenvolvimento da Família (AMODEFA), where she coordinated a program that aimed to promote community-based health services. Between 2007 and 2009, Ofélia worked with Pathfinder International as part of the national youth advocacy program Geração Biz, which focused on access to HIV care and treatment and advancing the sexual and reproductive rights of adolescents. In 2009 she supported the dissemination of the Maputo Plan of Action, which was signed by delegates from 48 African countries and which set out a framework for universal access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services.
From 2010 to 2013, Ofélia was employed by Population Services International (PSI), where she worked with high-risk populations in Mozambique, including commercial sex workers, men who have sex with men, and intravenous drug users to ensure access to health services and provide legal support and referral when needed. She then returned to Pathfinder for two years, where she oversaw efforts to strengthen community involvement in the promotion of family planning.
Ofélia has a degree in History from Eduardo Mondlane University, with a focus in Community Development.