The Long Road to Building Rumah Lentera

An hour had passed since the call to Asr prayer sounded. Puger Mulyono, 52 years old, was opening up his workspace at Rumah Lentera, located along the banks of the Jenes River in the Laweyan area of Surakarta, Central Java.

Sitting at his desk, Puger lit a kretek cigarette in his hand and took a slow drag. His mind drifts back to 2012, when he was asked to care for a baby with HIV.

Puger recounted that the baby he took was the child of an HIV survivor who had passed away at the Moewardi Regional General Hospital in Surakarta. However, the hospital required Puger to first settle a bill of Rp22 million before he could take the baby home. "Well, of course, she'd been hospitalized," he recalled.

His wife was taken aback when Puger brought the baby home. "Anake sopo? (Whose baby is this?)," his wife asked, especially once she learned the baby had HIV.

Puger then explained his wish to care for the child. Slowly, his wife's resistance softened, and she agreed to help him raise the baby. From that point on, Puger devoted himself wholeheartedly to caring for his adopted child.

A year later, Puger invited two friends, Kefas Jibrael Lumatefa and Yunus Prasetyo, to establish the Lentera Foundation, better known as Rumah Lentera. The foundation takes in, cares for, and raises children living with HIV (referred to as ADHIV).

He actively reached out to hospitals and a number of social community groups to spread the word about Rumah Lentera's existence. Slowly, Puger began taking in more HIV-positive infants. What started as one baby grew to three. From three, it grew to five.

Puger recounted that the children he cared for often arrived in critical condition. "Stage 4 HIV," he said. Some babies even passed away due to their weakened physical state.

Little by little, ongoing care efforts worked to improve the children's quality of life. The HIV progression stage of the children under his care gradually declined, to the point where they could live normal lives.

"I tell the kids, this vitamin (antiretroviral, or ARV) needs to be taken at such-and-such an hour. You'll be able to walk, be pretty, be handsome, have smooth skin, but you have to take this regularly," he explained.

Even so, Puger's sincere intentions did not always go smoothly. At the time, HIV/AIDS was still taboo, and plenty of negative stigma circulated in society. Puger has faced expulsion and rejection from residents around Rumah Lentera on several occasions.

Puger took another deep drag of his cigarette. He still remembers the time Rumah Lentera's caretakers had stones thrown at them by residents. "Thankfully, none of the children were hit," he recalled.

Rumah Lentera has relocated six times to date. Most recently, it has settled into a house in the Laweyan area. "Alhamdulillah, at our current location, all the neighbors are supportive. Hopefully we can stay here," he said.

Facing expulsion and rejection carries the risk of leaving a distinct trauma on a child. Puger's heart ached whenever he had to explain the real situation to the children in his care. Even so, he urged them not to respond to society's treatment with retaliation.

"We have to accept that it's because we carry this illness. People see us and feel afraid, that's why they throw things at us. But we have to show them that people don't need to be afraid of us," Puger said, repeating the advice he gave.

As of August 2026, Rumah Lentera has cared for 40 children living with HIV. Of these, 21 children are still in kindergarten through elementary school, while 19 have grown into teenagers or adults. Rumah Lentera has even become a national reference point for the care of children with HIV.  

Puger Mulyono points to photos of activities and the track record of the Lentera Foundation at Rumah Lentera in Laweyan, Surakarta, Central Java, August 25, 2026. UMS Public Relations/Gede Arga.

For three years, Puger and the Lentera Foundation operated in what he called "guerrilla mode," keeping the children's condition hidden from the wider community. But everything changed in 2016. Puger received an award in the community empowerment category at the Liputan 6 Awards, held by SCTV.

That award, as it turned out, opened the government's eyes to the existence of children living with HIV, a group Puger said had long remained marginalized. Puger recalled that he once had the chance to meet with the Minister of Social Affairs, Khofifah Indar Parawansa.

In front of Khofifah, Puger stated that his organization had never once received support from the government. "No help at all. We got kicked out otherwise," he said firmly.

Since then, the Ministry of Social Affairs, the Central Java Provincial Government, and the Surakarta City Government began providing assistance to Rumah Lentera, ranging from civil registration support and operational funding for the foundation, to access to antiretroviral (ARV) medication.

Educational support was also provided by enrolling the children at schools designated by the Surakarta City Government. Previously, Puger said, schools that accepted children living with HIV would often face complaints from other students' parents, which ultimately forced these children out of school. This designation by the Surakarta City Government was essential to guaranteeing these children's right to education.

The Surakarta City Government also provided funding to build a shelter home in Laweyan. When we visited the house in late August, several sections of the backyard were still under construction. Even so, the main building had already been completed, and Puger's children had already moved in.

The 40 children he currently cares for are now all registered under Puger's family card (Kartu Keluarga, or KK). This consolidation of family cards is meant to make civil registration easier and to secure formal state recognition for the children. Puger does not rule out the possibility that the number of children in his care could grow further, should anyone else come forward to entrust a child to Rumah Lentera.

Puger Mulyono in front of Rumah Lentera. UMS Public Relations/Gede Arga

After graduating from the Accounting Program at Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta (UMS) in 1998, Puger spent time roaming the streets of Jakarta, the nation's capital. The harshness of that street life shaped his character, making him tough and resilient. Puger's face was like telling the traces of that period of his life.

In 2006, Puger was called back to his hometown of Surakarta. He was asked to help support the rehabilitation process for intravenous drug users, in an effort to break the chain of HIV transmission among people struggling with addiction.

After founding Rumah Lentera in 2013, Puger began focusing on caring for children living with HIV. He worked tirelessly, even taking on work as a parking attendant, just to be able to feed the children in his care.

Fortunately, Puger received a great deal of support from friends during that time. Even some of the drug users he had previously supported through rehabilitation gave what help they could for the needs of the children.

The help that came in wasn't always in the form of money. Puger said some came as school uniforms, books, food, and clothing.

At times, marginalized members of the city's community would leave side dishes and rice by the gate of Rumah Lentera. "It turns out they were people with good hearts," he said.

Puger's dedication in caring for these children eventually reached national media attention. Ever since receiving his award from the Liputan 6 Awards, Puger has become an active public speaker, sharing his story and his work. From mosques, universities, and churches to government institutions, Puger spreads the message about the importance of compassion for one another.

Most recently, the sincerity behind Puger's care for his children was recognized by his own alma mater. He was awarded at the first edition of the UMS Alumni Awards 2026, in the community service category, held on Saturday (1/8/2026)

Writer: Gede Arga Adrian

Translator: Farizal Luqman Majid

Editor: Al Habiib Josy Asheva