Football Inter-Communautaire Project (FIC) .

Based in the Bakara-Fizi territory of South Kivu, Football Inter-Communautraire (FIC) brings together young people from all ethnic backgrounds in a region severely affected by civil war. Football is used to build links between different communities; bringing communities together by reducing tension through sporting activities.

FIC has used its partnerships with organisations such as FIFA, local media, and schools and youth clubs in the neighbouring territories of Baraka, Uvira, Katanga-Lubenga and Fizi to organise a number of cross-community events, including a football match between two big local teams – Flambeau FC and Masanze FC – in one of the biggest stadiums in South Kivu to promote the message of “One game, one community”.

Working with local schools and youth groups, FIC has brought together young people from different communities to share the idea of peace and demonstrate the power of sport to bring people together. One such successful event in Baraka City saw young people from the surrounding villages gather to share in a day of peace-based activities.

In the future FIC is planning to build on their success and organise even more ambitious activities including a two-week, province-wide tournament, an inter-schools competition, and a cross-cultural ‘Unity Festival’.

The co-ordinator of the FIC project is Desbon Bushiri, who migrated to the UK from Burundi aged 18. He has since been recognised by the Prime Minister Gordon Brown as one of ‘Britain’s Everyday Heroes‘.