01 March 2012
Our National Partner in Indonesia, Rumah Cemara, has hosted its first street soccer tournament called "League of Change".
Eight local organisations working with HIV/AIDS and drug issues have participated in this tournament giving the chance to the players to enjoy an amazing experience and realise how football can change their lives for the better.
Ginan Koesmayadi, Rumah Cemara’s Program Director said: "Players gain a strong sense of belonging, more confidence and feel their existence is more meaningful after being involved with football projects."
The event was organised using the Homeless World Cup tournament structure with teams of ten people, including coach, one manager and eight players, four of them with HIV and four coming from other marginalised groups.
Based in the West Java province, Rumah Cemara uses football as a universal language to overcome local stigma and discrimination towards people living with HIV/AIDS, and engage both HIV-positive and HIV-negative players. They participated to the Homeless World Cup annual event last year in Paris for the first time.
More information about the organisation here: www.rumahcemara.org
