At 26, Daryl Homer has a place in history: the first American to win a silver medal within the men's individual sabre in 112 years at the 2016 Olympic Games.



Through informal training sessions, Homer hopes to inspire the next generation by supporting a historic grassroots initiative within Senegal.

Courtesy Dakar Lives





It "offers them a unique way of experiencing incarceration differently," Hawa Ba, its program manger, told CNN in a previous interview.



Pictured: Street children being taught to fence. The West African country is experimenting with a new form of rehabilitation for juvenile prisoners and street children. They are taught fencing in twice weekly classes to learn how to follow rules and regulations.It "offers them a unique way of experiencing incarceration differently," Hawa Ba, its program manger, told CNN in a previous interview.Pictured: Street children being taught to fence. Courtesy Dakar Lives





There's



Many juvenile inmates are there for petty or social crimes - a result of poverty. The country has a child poverty issue with forced child labor and begging.There's an estimated 30,000 child beggars within the capital. Some of the fencing participants come from its children's shelter for former street kids. "Most of the children come from families who are in a very difficult situation economically," explains Ba. "We're just trying to get them out of the street. Courtesy Dakar Lives

Many who are part of the fencing program are orphans or former child beggars.



"Ultimately," said Homer, "I just hope the youth in the program are able to take tangible skills away from these experiences, and that continued exposure to the sport will lead to more opportunities."



Pictured: Child in a children's shelter Courtesy Sam Phelps/OSIWA





In an impassioned article for



Pictured: Photos of footballers on the wall of a children's shelter. Organizers believe fencing is an effective method to engender determination and respect (both for themselves and others) amongst the children.In an impassioned article for The Huffington Post, Homer wrote, "our society praises winners but shares nothing about the hardship we overcome to win," highlighting the value of giving back.Pictured: Photos of footballers on the wall of a children's shelter. Courtesy Sam Phelps/OSIWA

Homer's interest in fencing was sparked after reading a children's dictionary, which showed two men and the word fencing below it. His mother, having searched around enrolled him at the Peter Westbrook Foundation (PWF). He trained under fencing legend Yury Gelman, who agreed to coach him pro bono.



PWF's intake of students leans heavily towards inner city youths of black and Latino descent. Westbrook, a former Olympic saber fencer is of Japanese and African American heritage himself, and started the foundation on similar grounds of promoting diversity within the sport



Pictured: Sporting equipment line the wall of a fencing studio in Senegal. Courtesy Sam Phelps/OSIWA