There is a house in Bandung, near Daarut Tauhid, one in all the most important Islamic boarding schools in Indonesia, where boxing saves the lives of individuals living with HIV day-after-day.
The home was founded in 2003 by five individuals with HIV and a history of drug abuse. Its aim is to support people living with HIV, engaging members of the house and the broader community in breaking down stereotypes related to the condition through sport.
Ginan Koesmayadi, Co-Founder Pine Housewho has lived with HIV for nearly 16 years, shared the inspiration for founding this community Our higher worldstorytelling initiative by Singapore International Foundation, that folks like him were still stigmatized because there was a ignorance about HIV in Indonesia. Meanwhile, greater than 600,000 persons are living with HIV in Indonesia, in line with UNAIDS.
“I feel sad when all my tableware is separated from others. I feel hurt. Even more so when you recognize that the stigma comes from people very near you, like your mates and family,” Koesmayadi said.
The boxing gym is a technique Rumah Cemara helps people like Koemayadi who reside with HIV/AIDS or drug addiction by keeping them fit through sports, providing an area for socialising and giving them a likelihood to point out what they will do for his or her communities.
Dimas Bayu, one in all the boxers at Rumah Cemara, told Our Better World that when he first arrived, he couldn’t help but be afraid of individuals with HIV. Today, he understands and helps break down stigma and discrimination. “There’s nothing to worry about because they’re just like us.”
He also praised how Koesmayadi and Rumah Cemara helped him find himself through boxing. “Here I learned boxing from Ginan [Koesmayadi]. I learned the way to motivate myself once I feel down, also from Ginan. I’m here today, at this level, because of him.”
Today, the home is growing, with more members and a necessity for more room. Jimmy, the home’s sports development manager, admitted with a smile, “This pavilion used to be a chicken coop.”
The house and its residents live in harmony with the area people, which is usually made up of scholars and teachers from a Muslim boarding school.
“We invited an ustadz (teacher) from the boarding school and he came to give us his blessing,” Jimmy said.
Authorship history Our higher world – telling stories about good that encourage motion
