From Fighter to Coach: How Franck Inspires Youth

On a green pitch dotted with dusty patches in Maramvya, Burundi, a group of teenage boys practice passing drills. Franck jogs between them, clapping his hands and calling out encouragement. When one player hesitates and fumbles a pass, Franck pauses the drill, not to scold, but to guide him gently back into the rhythm. Along the sidelines, parents and younger children watch with quiet pride and anticipation. Older teens cheer from the edge of the field, while others wait patiently for their turn to play. This isn’t just football training; it’s a community gathering, where every player feels seen, supported, and valued.

Franck is well-known in his community as a coach, entrepreneur, and community-builder. But a decade ago, Franck was known for very different reasons. As a teenager, Franck was involved in a political youth group that sometimes resorted to intimidation and property destruction to make its point. The group sowed division and fear in the community.

That changed when Franck became a Coach with the Building Youth Peaceful Communities through Sport (Amahoro) project, which aimed to ease tensions in post-war Burundi and bring young people from diverse political, ethnic, and religious backgrounds together to learn respect, cooperation, and empathy.

Today, Franck continues his community-building work as an entrepreneur, community leader, and the founder and coach of the Maramvya Youth Football Club, which uses sport to unite and inspire those around him.

From Violence to Vision

Franck was just a teenager when he became involved in violent activity in his community in 2015. That year, civil unrest spread across the country when protests against perceived government corruption were met with a violent response from government security forces. According to the United Nations, at least 3,496 people were arrested during this period, including 66 children who were charged with involvement in armed groups

Tensions were high in Maramvya, a politically divided area of Bujumbura Province. Youth were being mobilized into rival political groups, influenced by peer pressure, a desire to belong, and a desire to protect their communities.

Franck joined a youth group aligned with the ruling party. “We were mobilized to pressure and confront young people who refused to join the party’s youth wing and were protesting against the government,” he explains. “My actions caused fear and division in my own neighbourhood. Franck's involvement in the group left both personal and community scars.

Then, in 2018, Franck was offered an unexpected opportunity. Aprodem-Girizina, a non-governmental organization and Right To Play’s local implementing partner, was looking for community members with influence among youth who could be trained to use that influence positively. They saw Franck’s influence with youth and thought that, with the right tools and mission, he could become a powerful agent of change—for good this time. They invited him to train as a coach for the Building Youth Peaceful Communities through Sport (Amahoro) project. Franck accepted.

“[In the Coach training], I learned about empathy, respect, and cooperation,” he remembers. The training opened his eyes to a different way of engaging youth, not through coercion or rivalry, but through inclusion and empathy.

“The training made me realize I could be more than someone who divides. I could be someone who unites.”

Building Bridges on the Field

Franck coached youth through the Amahoro project until 2020 and continued his Coach in another project, Play Peaceful Coexistence (Twibinare), until 2022. Through weekly sports and play sessions, dialogue circles, and team-building games, he formed inclusive youth groups that brought together girls and boys, Christians and Muslims, Hutu and Tutsi, as well as supporters of different political parties, into a unified team called Twese Hamwe Birashoboka—“Together, Everything Is Possible.”

After the projects ended, Franck didn’t stop. “The young people kept coming. The parents and local leaders asked us to keep going,” he says.

He and his wife committed to continuing the sports activities in their community. They founded the Maramvya Youth Football Club, a community-owned team that now competes at the provincial level and serves as a nurturing space for youth development.

At the heart of the club is the belief that sport is a tool for transformation and peacebuilding. Weekly practices are infused with life skills sessions that teach players teamwork, conflict resolution, and critical thinking. Franck uses the same play-based techniques he learned from Right To Play about how to make games fun and fulfilling and also embed lessons that teach young people how to listen, lead, and navigate challenges peacefully.

Community-based organizations and non-governmental organizations in Burundi reach out to Franck to support them use this play-based approach to engage their young program participants.

“We’ve helped reduce drug use and violence in this area,” Franck says. “Our players are focused. They’re disciplined and helping each other stay on track.”

A Future Rooted in Peace

Today, at 35, Franck is a respected figure in Maramvya. He is married, runs his Football Club, as well as several other businesses, including a small company that produces eco-friendly briquettes made from agricultural waste that are a cleaner alternative to firewood or charcoal.

He’s a living example of what transformation looks like when play becomes a path to peace. His dream is to launch football academy that trains future professional players not only in athletic skills, but in character, leadership, and peace.