Photo Gallery Teaching Boys to Box in Crisis-Stricken Congo
Kibomango (back row, right) with his fighters. The 35-year-old started his own boxing school in the Congolese city of Goma, with the goal of keeping his proteges from joining rebel militias.
Kibomango's students warm up together as the sun rises in Goma. The city is Congo's rebel capital, with a strong militia presence. In December 2012, the M23 militia occupied the city for 12 days.
A group of prospective new members watch Kibomango teach his students. The boxers train in a small room in the football stadium. The club doesn't even have its own boxing ring.
Preparing for for a drill: Boxing students Fabrice and Calude help each other put on their gloves. They, like other members of the club, are former child soldiers. Kibomango wants to help them forget the horrors they saw, and possibly also perpetrated.
Kibomango understands what his students experienced: He rediscovered boxing after spending years in militias. Here, he is shown in 2009 before a rematch with Saidi Kanyalire, who died at the end of the match. The cause of his death is unknown, but was supposedly a heart attack.
Even though he calls himself Congo's boxing champion, Kibomango doesn't make any money from the sport. He supports his wife, Nadine, and six children -- here 2-year-old Jenny and 4-year-old Jessica -- by working as an auto mechanic.
Kibomango lives with his children and wife Nadine (shown here) in the slumbs of Goma. He is at his boxing school every morning at 6 a.m.
A fire outside the Stade les Volcans, where Kibomango's school is located, in Goma. The city's poverty has made it a center for rebel recruitment. The militias try to enlist young boys by promising them women and money.
Kibomango stays in shape because he wants to set an example for his students. He participates in most of the group's workouts himself.
Kibomango's time with the rebels ended after he was hit in the left eye by bomb shrapnel.
Amadi, one of Kibomango's students, recovers after a sparring session. The boxing school is meant to allow the former fighters to work off their aggression. But the coach is strict: He believes good technique, patience and self-control make a good boxer.
A moment of respite: Kibomango plays with one of his kids in his broken-down car in front of his home. He says he can repair any car.
Men working for different bus companies hustle for clients in Goma. The fight for passengers can lead to physical conflict in which customers are literally dragged to a bus. In the background, Congolese national police sit and watch.
Kibomango with his newborn son, Francisco, outside his home. Kibomango was born Balezi Bagunda, but now everybody refers to him by his boxing name.
