Global Press Institute by Noella Nyirabihogo Sunday 22nd March, 2015
GOMA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO - Abondance Kalyoko, 16, loves the games court at the Goma Youth Center. Today, shes here to play basketball.
But shes not an average athlete.
Kalyoko has a spinal condition that prevents her from walking. When she was 6, she underwent several surgeries to remove a mysterious abscess on her spinal cord. Her spine curves upward now. She doesnt know the name of her condition or its root cause.
Riding wheelchairs, Kalyoko and her teammates begin the afternoon training session with their coach. At least 50 spectators cheer on these nontraditional athletes.
Goma is a difficult place to be disabled, Kalyoko says. Members of her community stigmatize her because of her deformity.
I never thought that I was like other people because there were always people around who reminded me of my disability at every opportunity, she says.
Kalyoko has been teased and harassed since she was little.
During her childhood, she played alone.
I will never forget my childhood because it was painful for me, she says. Whenever I saw the other girls playing jump rope, I fell into tears because I could not join them and have a good time too.
But Kalyoko feels different on the basketball court.
When I am playing here, I feel alive, she says. I forget all my worries and I focus on the ball.
Limited access to health care and ongoing conflict have left many young people in DRC with disabilities.
Despite strong cultural stigma and a lack of care options, dozens of young disabled people in the North Kivu province of DRC are turning to sports including basketball; sitball, a version of volleyball played while sitting; and pingpong to improve their quality of life. Building strength and community helps them overcome countless obstacles in their everyday lives, advocates say.
A disabled woman, Thrse Mabulayi, founded the Handisport Club in 2007. It grew into the Paralympic Committee of the Democratic Republic of Congo, which operates in partnership with the International Paralympic Committee.
In 2012, 48 disabled athletes participated in athletic competition through the Paralympic Committee of North Kivu. Today, the organization has 80 members.
Some 10 million people in DRC live with physical disabilities.
More than two decades of armed conflict between the government and dozens of rebel groups have contributed to the high incidence of disabilities here. Fighting stems from tribal conflicts and competition for resources.
Poor health care contributes to the prevalence of disabilities. Malnutrition, tuberculosis and lack of prenatal care cause many spinal deformities, and some 12 percent of DRC children are unvaccinated against polio, a crippling disease.
Sports are a great outlet for young people with disabilities, says Jacque Maheshe, youth coordinator of the Paralympic Committee of DRC and secretary-general of the Paralympic Committee of North Kivu.
Unfortunately, teams often have nowhere to play because courts and fields are not flat or safe enough for wheelchair users. The government and Paralympic committee are struggling to finance improved athletic facilities for adaptive sports in DRC.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, poor health care and years of armed conflict have made disability widespread. Young people with disabilities are commonly mocked and marginalized, but more and more are finding opportunities for joyful engagement in adaptive sports. The government and the countrys Paralympic Committee are doing what they can to improve athletic facilities and increase accessibility to competition.
I never thought that I was like the other people because there were always people around who reminded me of my disability at every opportunity.
Abondance Kalyoko, 16, basketball player in Goma
More than two decades of armed conflict between the government and dozens of rebel groups have contributed to the high incidence of disabilities here. Fighting stems from tribal conflicts and competition for resources.
Poor health care also contributes to the prevalence of disabilities. Malnutrition, tuberculosis and lack of prenatal care cause many spinal deformities. The polio virus also is active here; some 12 percent of DRC children are unvaccinated against the crippling disease.
Many of the 10 million Congolese with disabilities find they benefit from the exercise and social engagement they find in sports. However, the nation does not have enough safe, accessible recreational facilities to meet the need. The government and the nations Paralympic Committee are struggling to come up with resources to fund construction work so they can invite more disabled athletes to participate.
Disabled people are not given any consideration in their respective families, where they are thought of as good for nothing. Stigma begins within the family and spreads to the community.
Jacque Maheshe, youth coordinator of the Paralympic Committee of DRC and secretary-general of the Paralympic Committee of North Kivu
Life here is difficult for the disabled. We are obliged to live like non-disabled people. I always have to cross the road like the other persons.
Dany Badacoka, 17, basketball player
I cannot miss any Paralympic training session or competitions, because every time I see these people playing I am surprised by their courage. Very few people who claim to be able-bodied have such courage.
Didier Mbalume, sports fan
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