“I could feel the power in the room,” said Marc Salama Asobee, Nyota Co-Director. “Women were sharing honestly about their struggles at home. One woman spoke about how her husband doesn’t support her work. He doesn’t understand the weight of her professional responsibilities. This kind of honesty is rare in our context.”
During this second module of Nyota—Work/Family Balance—participants began sharing deeply personal challenges, many for the first time. One facilitator pointed out, “This only happens when women feel truly safe.”
In the U.S., it’s not unusual for women to share the ups and downs of life over coffee, on the sidelines of kids’ soccer games, or during lunch breaks. But in Congo, it’s different.
Vivian, a member of the Nyota team, explains,
Before marriage, girls are told to tolerate a man’s misbehavior and stay silent. A woman who speaks out is seen as disrespectful or as someone who shames her husband. She’s expected to act like everything is fine—even when it’s not.
Adelphine, another Nyota facilitator, adds,
In premarital counseling, women are often advised to keep household struggles to themselves—to pray and stay calm. But silence has a cost. Some women suffer emotionally and physically from bottling it all in.
Vivian continues,
When women start speaking up, it’s not to oppose men, but to advocate for what is right and good—for themselves, their families, and their communities.
That’s what makes what’s happening in Nyota so powerful.
Leadership in its earliest form: Not loud or dramatic, but quiet, persistent courage. It’s a courage that says, “My experience matters. My voice matters.”
Leadership isn’t defined by titles or positions. It emerges when women reclaim their voice. It emerges when they step confidently and purposefully into the leadership roles to which they have been called. It emerges when women leaders claim their place at the table.
And this is what Nyota—a partnership between Impact Now, the Université Chrétienne Bilingue du Congo, and female Congolese female professionals—is all about.
Sharing food is part of every Nyota session! Nyota staff member, Rachel, serves Noella.
BE A PART OF THE NYOTA STORY
- Join the growing number of Impact Now champions who are making a difference for women in the DRC, and donate today.
- Join us Saturday, June 21, 11–noon EDT, for a “Congo Conversation” with Nyota graduates to hear first-hand how Nyota experience has had an impact on their life and work. Hear how they’ve made a difference in the lives of others. Register for free today.
CAPTION FOR FEATRUED IMAGE AT TOP: Dr. Rebecca explains the importance of a personal budget.
What’s the connection between Impact Now, UCBC, and Nyota?
Great question. Here’s the short version:
Nyota—Swahili for star—is a women’s leadership program co-created by Impact Now, UCBC (Université Chrétienne Bilingue du Congo), and Congolese women leaders in Beni.
In 2023, Impact Now (a U.S.-based nonprofit) and UCBC (a respected Congolese university) partnered to respond to the professional development needs expressed by local women.
Instead of designing a program on their own, the two organizations invited ten women to help shape it.
They asked questions like—
What’s your vision as a leader?
What stands in your way?
What would help you grow?
The women’s responses directed every part of the design, and Nyota launched in June 2024.
Impact Now contributes coaching expertise, curriculum support, and funding.
UCBC contributes cultural insight, experienced facilitators, and credibility.
The women contribute lived experience, vision, and leadership.
Nyota is the result: a supportive learning community where women gain the skills and confidence to lead boldly—in their families, organizations, and communities.
Elvis (standing) shares a story.