What happens when women lead? They transform their communities. At Impact Now, our mission is to equip and empower women leaders through our core initiative, the NYOTA Leadership Program, implemented in collaboration with the Université Chrétienne Bilingue du Congo, in DRCongo.
NYOTA is at the heart of what we do. NYOTA helps women develop skills and networks necessary to drive change. NYOTA participants are breaking barriers, building communities, and inspiring transformation—women like Linda Etoy and Naomi Bakwanamah, who are putting their leadership skills into action to make a difference.
Strengthening Female Solidarity in Leadership
Linda, an executive with the Union of Domestic Workers of Congo (UFEDOC, Union des Femmes Domestiques du Congo) is “creating a climate of close collaborations with my female colleagues” by developing “a professional network to share resources, ask questions, and encourage each other in taking on professional responsibilities.” Her vision extends beyond the present as she imagines “a mentoring system where experienced women guide younger women in management, entrepreneurship, and advocacy… and … this network can be extended from the NYOTA program to the whole city of Beni.”
Strategic Communication and Advocacy
Linda is sharpening her communication skills to champion the rights of domestic workers. Drawing on techniques she has learned in NYOTA, she is in the process of crafting a communications strategy that blends data with personal stories. She explains, “I’ll build a compelling case with evidence and member testimonies …[and] secure meetings to strategically present these elements.”
And Linda is not the only NYOTA participant who has already been applying what she’s learned in the program into practice for a greater good.
Shaping Leadership and Advocacy
Naomi Bakwanamaha, who works with displaced and vulnerable populations, has already shifted her approach to leadership, for example. She writes, “Leadership is a dynamic process of influencing others to understand and agree on what needs to be done.” Having taught her colleagues what she is learning, she notes that her team now “structures our activities in a strategic way. [We] talk to each other to discover our skills, our level of understanding, and to agree on different points or aspects of our work.” She continues, “We are increasingly becoming assertive leaders, expressing our thoughts, feelings and needs clearly, honestly and directly, without infringing on the rights of others.”
Having learned critical advocacy skills, Naomi has revamped her communication efforts. “We encounter a great deal of social injustice. … We used to meet with leaders just to present the problem. Now, we apply the principles of advocacy to influence decisions.” As someone who advocates for war-displaced families and unaccompanied children, Naomi makes a difference in the lives of vulnerable people in her community.
Linda and Naomi are just two examples of the ripple effect of empowering women to lead, collaborate, and advocate for change. Committed to carrying out their tasks with determination and relying on the skills they’ve gained in NYOTA, Linda, Naomi, and their NYOTA colleagues are dismantling barriers to female leadership for a greater good.
Twenty-four women constitute the current NYOTA cohort. There are at least that many more ready to step up, take action, and transform their communities through NYOTA. Your support makes this possible.
Please join in this important work and donate to Impact Now. Support women leaders in DRCongo to develop skills to bring about important change in their communities.
In fact, become a monthly donor. By becoming a monthly donor, you provide consistent support that ensures that NYOTA, through Impact Now, makes a lasting impact. Even a small monthly gift can create real change. Join us today in making a difference every month!
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Linda Anokamba Etoy.