U

nder the Pasoepati overpass in Bandung lies a safe haven for all the wretched outcasts of the city to find solace without having to worry about judgment and ridicule from the rest of society.

The outcasts are people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), the homeless, former inmates who have had difficulty proving their worth as individuals due to the stigma attached to criminal offenders. Within this haven, in the form of a futsal arena, they are slowly regaining their confidence and most importantly, recognition from those who would normally look down at them.

The idea of using futsal, a mini form of soccer, as a tool to empower the marginalized members of society was initiated by Rumah Cemara, a nongovernmental organization established by several PLWHA and others concerned about HIV/AIDS in 2003.

'€œWe came to the futsal field under the overpass in 2010 and asked several locals to have a match with us. We did not tell them that we had HIV before the match. Once the match ended, we shook hands and told them who we really were and what we had,'€ Rumah Cemara grant manager resources mobilization unit head Aditia Taslim told The Jakarta Post.

'€œWe asked them to play with us again the next weekend and they had no hesitation. That was when we knew that futsal could be a very effective tool to both empower PLWHA and to teach the public that people living with HIV can live normal lives and that there was nothing to be afraid of,'€ he added.

The routine futsal matches began to expand to not only include PLWHA and local residents near but also other outcasts of the city, including homeless people, the poor and former inmates.

Aditia said that a Rumah Cemara activist then found on a website information regarding a world soccer tournament specifically for outcasts of society. The tournament was called the Homeless World Cup and Aditia said Rumah Cemara took the initiative to register.

'€œWe were going to represent Indonesia, but the state gave us no support. Nevertheless, we visited the Youth and Sports Ministry to ask permission to wear the Garuda badge on our chests as a sign that we represented Indonesia in the tournament. The ministry gave us permission and so we went to the tournament,'€ Aditia said.

The Indonesian team did not disappoint in its debut at the 2011 Homeless World Cup in Paris as they finished sixth out of 48 participants.

A year later, a group of Indonesian outcasts reached the semifinals in Mexico and brought honor to the country, whose populace largely believed that PLWHA, former inmates and the poor were a shame to the nation.

The team'€™s accomplishment during the Homeless World Cup caught the attention of Manchester United, one of the richest soccer clubs in the world. The club, together with Chevrolet, then decided to revitalize the futsal field that has been used so many times by Rumah Cemara to empower the marginalized and to educate the public.

Instead of rough cement, the arena now has padded flooring. New goal posts have replaced old ones and participants no longer have to worry about kicking the ball into the street as the arena is now surrounded by netting as well.

Former Manchester United defender Gary Pallister said that what Rumah Cemara had done was a global inspiration because no other HIV empowerment program had used soccer as a tool to educate the public.

'€œEverybody [HIV-infected people and non-HIV people] is playing football against each other. So many years ago it probably wouldn'€™t happen and now we'€™ve brought the barriers down and everybody is enjoying themselves,'€ Pallister said.