By: Hee-Dee Walenga
The Gasore Serge Foundation, in collaboration with the Israel Premier Tech cycling team, officially opened the Home of Dreams, a youth cycling centre serving the Bugesera district community in Rwanda.
The facility is the first of its kind in Africa and has been certified by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) as a regional training centre. Home of Dreams is part of the Field of Dreams bike facility, which is a UCI Regional Satellite. Field of Dreams is one of two UCI Satellites in Africa, the other being in Paarl, South Africa.
Nestled in the farmlands an hour south of Kigali’s city centre, the facility is located in the Rwandan Children Christian School grounds in the Ntarama sector of the Bugesera district. Just three decades ago, the district was the site of large-scale massacres of the Tutsi people. Violence in the area dates back to the 1960s.
Founder of the Gasore Serge Foundation, Serge Gasore, stated to The Villager that the new cycling centre is a shining example of how the people of Rwanda are building themselves up. Gasore explained that he drew inspiration from Rwanda’s government on how to develop the community.
“People lost hope. The leadership of Rwanda has invested a lot to transform the community from ashes to life. I learned from them and decided to do something for my community. I hope the youth learn from me and continue the development,” Gasore explained.
Home of Dreams is open to all children of the surrounding community, with the facility and bicycles being free of charge. The facility features a race track, a pump track, a coffee shop, mechanic room, and housing for the UCI coaches who train the participating children. The centre will serve over 2000 children per month.
Photos: Hee-Dee Walenga
Speaking at the inauguration, Rwanda’s Minister of Sport, Nelly Mukazayire, stated that the facility falls in line with the ministry’s vision of making Rwanda a global sports hub. Mukazayire outlined the three pillars as: talent development, infrastructure development for the youth, and sports business. “Field of Dreams touches all three pillars,” she expressed.
“This is an opportunity to change the community. We create unity, hope, resilience, excellence, and competitiveness. With everything here, we create a whole ecosystem that creates revenue from sport. This is such a good example,” Mukazayire added.
Mayor of the Bugesera district, Richard Mutubazi, described the facility as a beacon of hope, ambition, and excellence.
“It will inspire our youth not only to win races, but to win in life. This facility provides our youth with the platform to train, excel, and lead the way for the next generation of cyclists in Bugesera and beyond,” Mutubazi said.
The centre fulfills the UCI’s mandate of developing and growing the sport of cycling on the African continent, according to director of the UCI World Cycling Centre, Jacques Landry. “Our 2030 agenda is to globalise the sport of cycling; the satellite in Rwanda is definitely a mechanism of that,” Landry remarked.
