What does it take to build a sustainable leader? According to the women of the NYOTA Leadership Development Program in Beni, Democratic Republic of Congo, it starts not with strategy or influence — but with self.
Module 1 of the NYOTA curriculum, Work/Life Balance: Starting With Self, is the opening chapter of a six-month leadership journey. And it may be the most countercultural lesson of all.
The Hidden Cost of “Doing Everything”
Women in Beni, DRC, often carry extraordinary burdens. They are entrepreneurs, NGO managers, mothers, caregivers, and community pillars — frequently juggling all of these roles simultaneously without structures of support or permission to rest.
This isn’t just anecdotal. Research from the International Labour Organization confirms that women globally spend twice as much time on unpaid care work as men, a disparity that is even more pronounced in developing regions where institutional support is limited.
Without the language or tools to manage competing demands, many women operate in a constant state of overwhelm — touching everything, finishing nothing.
NYOTA participant Patricia Fazilla Mafuto described her life before the program:
“Before NYOTA, I worked at home without ever resting. I did everything without finishing anything. I touched everything, but didn’t know where to start or where to stop.”
Patricia’s words resonate far beyond Beni. But in contexts where rest is seen as a luxury and delegation is rarely modeled — especially for women — these feelings go unnamed and unaddressed.
What the Work/Life Balance Module Teaches
Over four weeks of Saturday sessions and peer follow-up, NYOTA participants in Module 1 learn to:
- Plan their time with intention and structure
- Identify “time thieves” — the demands, interruptions, and obligations that quietly drain their capacity
- Delegate effectively, distinguishing between what requires their personal attention and what does not
- Set boundaries around competing personal and professional demands
- Establish personal rules for sustainability
These are practical, transferable skills. But in Beni, they are rarely taught or modeled — particularly for women. The module creates a rare space where participants name the invisible forces shaping their days and take deliberate steps to reclaim their time.
Patricia noticed the difference immediately:
“This module taught me to plan my time, establish personal rules, and set limits on certain tasks. I now plan my schedule and delegate what is not urgent. I am putting everything I learned at NYOTA into practice for lasting well-being.”
Rebecca teaching.
The Role of the Facilitator: Rebecca Wasingya
What makes Module 1 especially powerful isn’t only the curriculum — it’s who delivers it.
Facilitator Rebecca Wasingya is a full-time economics professor, a wife, a mother, a daughter, and a household manager. She navigates the same pressures as the women she teaches. Her very presence sends a message: It is possible to lead well and live well. And you are not alone.
Rebecca creates a safe, relational environment where women begin to open up about their personal experiences. This trust-building in the first module lays the social groundwork for everything that follows in the NYOTA program.
Why This Module Matters for Leadership
It might be tempting to classify work/life balance as a “soft skill”—something nice to have, but secondary to leadership competencies like strategy, communication, or resource mobilization.
NYOTA takes a different view: sustainable leadership is impossible without personal sustainability.
A leader who cannot manage her own time cannot effectively manage a team. A leader who has no boundaries cannot hold space for others. A leader running on empty cannot inspire the people she serves.
Research consistently shows that gender disparities in work-life balance are directly linked to burnout, and that professionals in developing regions face significantly greater work-life conflicts due to limited institutional support—making this training not just valuable, but urgent.
Work/Life Balance isn’t a detour from the NYOTA leadership curriculum. It is the curriculum’s foundation.
The NYOTA Difference: Designed by the Women It Serves
The NYOTA Leadership Development Program was designed by and for the women of Beni. That means every module reflects the real-world context of participants—their challenges, their cultural pressures, and their aspirations.
Across all six modules and six months of the program, 87% of NYOTA graduates report increased confidence in leading in public settings, and 74% have taken on new or expanded leadership roles within 12 months of completing the program.
Work/Life Balance is where that transformation begins—inward, with identity, boundaries, and the radical act of caring for oneself.
Walk Alongside a NYOTA Woman
A woman participates in NYOTA while maintaining her full-time job and full-time home and family responsibilities. The cost of her full six-month journey is $900.
A monthly gift of $75, $50, or even $30 means you walk with her—module by module—as she becomes a more sustainable, more impactful leader.
Learn more about the NYOTA program and join the monthly donor community.
The NYOTA Leadership Development Program is a program of Impact Now, serving women leaders in Beni, Democratic Republic of Congo.
CAPTION FOR FEATRUED IMAGE AT TOP: Nana (left) and Queen (right) at a focus group discussion on time thieves.