The city of Goma is known for conflict, but national road race champion Joel Kyaviro is hoping to change that.
Joel Kyaviro
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has been gripped by conflict and violence for decades. The two Congo Wars, ripple effects from the Rwandan Genocide of the 1990s, have most heavily impacted the eastern reaches of the Central African nation that border Rwanda and Uganda.
More recently, the Rwandan-backed M23 rebel group took over large swaths of the North and South Kivu regions by force, plunging the DRC back into war. (The Rwandan government deny any involvement.) The city of Goma, the capital of North Kivu that lies just a few miles from the Rwandan border, has been the epicentre of the most recent fighting, as M23 moved in and killed at least 3,000 people, displacing hundreds of thousands more. Additionally, there were reports of war crimes, tortures and executions as M23 marched through the region. Fighting between rebel groups and Congolese armed forces continues today, despite attempts by the United States and other governments to broker peace.
In the midst of all this, a group of cyclists is trying to make a difference. Joel Kyaviro is the DRC’s national road race champion, having won the title in 2023—the last time the race was held. He also races on the gravel for US-based team Something DFRNT. Last year, Kyaviro launched Tumaini Cycling Academy in Goma, hoping to support children whose lives have been affected by the war.
Tumaini means “hope” in kiswahili. The academy provides coaching sessions for children aged 5-17 twice per week and also financially supports several in their education, but Kyaviro, who grew up in Goma, has much bigger dreams for the academy and the children who attend.
“This project is something I was seeking [for a long time]. Because the chance I had, no one had that chance to join a team like Team Amani. Not in Goma, but in the whole Congo. Can you just imagine the whole of Congo? No one make this step to join a big team. To have a good bike and everything.”
“I saw some children, they were forced to be soldiers in Goma. The violence was around there…In Goma, no one has anything to do, everyone wants to be a soldier to join the rebels. So I just say, you know, I will go back to Goma. I will start my project. I need to help the youth in my city, because I’m the only one who had this chance. I’m the only one who has this small experience. But in all this small experience, I can help the youth, the children, even can change their life, like my life changed.”
“Cycling changed my life and I want the next generation, the ones that are behind me, the ones that are I call it the ‘red zone’, to follow what I’m doing, to follow my process, because I know also them, their life can change through the sport, through cycling.”
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