A football team of ex-substance abusers and hiv-infected? Unbelievable! How could those debilitated by drugs or infected by theHIV virus have the energy for soccer? Not just one team but two teams go out into the grounds every morning with dreams of emulating football’s greats. With the soccer World Cup soon to begin, it’s a different kind of high every morning. Yes, Sahara, anNGO working with substance abusers and people living with HIV, uses football as therapy. Says Keith, a keen footballer who works with Sahara: "The game makes the player believe he can do it, bringing back the confidence lost due to years of drugs. It also helps combat the stigma and discrimination that he faces everywhere."
Soccer pinpoints traits in individuals that enable counsellors to be more effective. Ruchika, a Sahara volunteer, says you can see the level of participation of ex-addicts, doubling up as players, when it comes to group activity. Some are loners, there are others who may lack the drive and energy needed to come out of a tough situation. The game helps them.
The Sahara teams are from homes at Greater Kailash II and Neb Sarai, Delhi. They have played and won against the Delhi state under-19 youth team. Last year, four players from Sahara signed a one-year contract to play for the Indian National Football Club, a top club in Delhi. Eight players from Sahara represented the Royal Ranger, another Delhi-based outfit. A Sahara player was even selected to the Delhi team for the Santosh Trophy. It is ranked third in the Delhi Diplomatic International Soccer League. In 2002, Sahara established the Sawmpau Tournament, in memory of a player who died of aids.
Football indeed has changed lives. Thirty seven-year-old Mark* was diagnosed HIV-positive eight years ago. He adopted a positive lifestyle to combat the infection and today he is a programme manager at Sahara Michael’s Care Home. He is deeply committed to fighting stigma and discrimination. When asked the secret of his stamina and determination, he says "soccer". Similarly Ranjan*, 31, found he wasHIV-positive two years ago but it did not stop him from being one of the top scorers of the Delhi division senior team.
While Sahara is giving young people a new lease of life, its major concern is the disappearance of football fields and open spaces. TheDDA grounds near Savitri cinema, where Sahara’s teams practised every morning, was sold for commercial use. It costs Rs 4,000 to hire a football field for two hours. Says Keith, "We cannot afford that kind of money and yet football is our lifeblood."