The Young Journalist Society
Firmin Irakoze, Kenya
KLABU is a social startup that uses the power of sport and community to support refugees who are rebuilding their lives. Based in Amsterdam, the organisation works closely with refugee and host communities around the world, including in Kalobeyei (Kenya), Cox’s Bazar (Bangladesh), Lesvos (Greece) and Ter Apel (Netherlands) to build their own sports 'clubhouses' that are hubs for play, entrepreneurship, good health and education. Partners and supporters include UNHCR, The UN Refugee Agency and the French football club Paris Saint-Germain. Firmin Irakoze is an aspiring journalist and footballer, originally from Burundi.
Can you introduce yourself and tell us about your football life?
My name is Firmin Irakoze. I am 23 years old and I am a Burundian by nationality. I was born as a refugee in Tanzania. I am a student at Bright Star Secondary School in Form 3, and also a chairperson of the Young Journalists Society in my school. I am also the school captain. I started playing football with my friends and at school when I was 15.
My life has been hard since I was a child, however despite the fact that life is not easy for me, I put in effort to fight these challenges by focusing on education. My family left Burundi due to political instability and the way they were treated as foreigners in their own country.
Football and KLABU are so important to me because KLABU provides me with opportunities to play football during my leisure time.
What did you try to show with the photos? Was there any wider meaning with the photos?
I tried to capture the KLABU house here in Kalobeyei, where the KLABU office is located. Other photos are of two teams playing a game in one of the events which took place at the KLABU pitch. I also showed KLABU staff members Jean Marie, Paul and Keir. The photos show the unity and harmony of football as it includes people of different colours and nationalities.
I was trying to show the world the life of the youths in Kenya and how they participate in various activities with the help of KLABU. I wanted to show the talents of youths here in Kalobeyei. You can see players in action and getting ready for a game.
One of the players is Paul Lomeli. He was born in 1998 and is South Sudanese. He came here because of the war in his country, and here he has no parents and stays with one of his relatives. He plays football as a career and hopes that his life will change in the future.
Paul plays football full-time for Rabita FC, a club located in the Kalobeyei Refugee Camp in Kenya. Even though he does not receive any salary from the team, he has been playing for them for over three years. He still sees football as his number one priority, and he hopes that one day he will be seen on TV playing football. Therefore, he is working hard to accomplish his mission, which is to one day be a professional footballer with a team that will pay him well and help him accomplish his dreams.
Why is football important to you and your community?
To me football is very important because it plays a major role for me and for my community. It unites people and brings peace and harmony to people. Football helps me forget some of the problems I encounter in my life and reduce my stress.
What is the Young Journalists Society?
The Young Journalists Society is a group of young people who study journalism in order to spread information to other people. People learn how to gather information in a way that can be used for journalistic matters, such as collecting information on certain events from different persons in the society and then questioning what they received through their own investigation.
Furthermore, we learn to ask investigative questions that target the main source. Lastly, we are taught there through observing media like the BBC and watching how the news is presented by professional journalists.
What ambitions do you have for the future?
My ambition for the future is to go further in my career and achieve my goal as a great football journalist. At the same time I would like to help other people to identify their talents and achieve their goals.
