Goma, DRC – The decades-long civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) divided communities that had previously coexisted peacefully.

But millions of young Congolese still have a lot in common, particularly their love for football.

Football is the most popular sport in the DRC and at the grassroots-level interest in it keeps growing.

The sport brings together children from different ethnic and religious backgrounds, encouraging tolerance, reconciliation and understanding between communities and building a sense of solidarity.

As a cheap and accessible form of entertainment, it also offers a momentary escape from the realities of life in a warzone.