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Magic Bus Impact
Magic Bus impacts the lives of its primary stakeholder, the child, in ways that are both manifest and subtle. Some of these impacts were captured in studies that engaged with children, their parents as well as other members of the community such as teachers and principals.
- Praxis Impact Assessments in 2010 and 2012
- Baseline Study of children between the ages of 12 and 17 in 2012 (funded by Comic Relief)
- Study of Peer Leaders in the Magic Bus programme in 2011
This document captures highlights from these 3 studies.
Our goal is to encourage children to pursue formal education as a basis for equal opportunity in later life stages. Our programme encourages children to enroll, stay in school and cultivate a positive and engaging approach to their teachers, fellow students and education in general. In the process, Magic Bus contributes to preventive action against two of the issues facing the education system today: school regularity and school life expectancy, especially for girls.
The National Family Health Survey-3 (2005-06) states that the Net Attendance Ratio of children in primary school is only 73.2%; in secondary school this drops even further to 56.8%. However, at Magic Bus, children realise that learning can be fun, and that they can benefit in varied ways from a formal education. As a result, they attend school regularly:95.7% of the children in our programmehave an attendance record of over 80%.
Only 46% of girls in India are in secondary school. The onset of puberty is a significant reason for girls dropping out of education. In the Magic Busprogramme, as their self-efficacy and self-confidence increases, girls aspire to a better and fuller education. As a result, 98% of the adolescent girls at Magic Bus are in secondary school.
A very important part of Magic Bus’ work is in improving behaviours and beliefs regarding gender.
In a country where sport is seen as inherently masculine, it is a challenge to ensure girls’ participation in a Sport for Development programme. Yet, 42% of the participants in our programme are girls. This is the result of extensive work with families and communities, including formal and informal meetings, house-to-house visits and the conscious promotion of young women as Mentors so that each community has a trusted and known female role model.
Our work is among the largest mixed-gender programmes in the world.Every child in Magic Bus plays in mixed gender groups at least once a week. This is a conscious attempt to break down barriers between people of both genders, and to enable them to see each other primarily as human beings. It also helps to address challenges they face at home and in their communities, thus normalizing gender equations.
In many of the areas we work in, child marriages are considered okay, especially in the face of economic difficulties. However, among Magic Bus children, 81% believe that they should not marry before 18 years of age, even if there is a problem in the family.
In India, violence against women is common and manifested in several forms including discrimination and exclusion. 37.2% of women between the ages of 15 and 49 have experienced physical or sexual violence. It is therefore important to work with young people of both genders to build a greater understanding of the other, and encourage constructive engagement.
Our children are challenging gender-based discrimination through their presence on playfields. 92% of children believe that girls and boys have an equal capacity to excel in sports. This shows an increase of 30% from what the children believed in before joining Magic Bus. 82% of children feel that sports are as important for boys as for girls and 82.7% believe that it is equally important to invest in a girl’s as well as a boy’s future.
Our largest area of impact is in health-related attitudes and practices. There is a direct cause and effect relationship between hygiene and good health. Magic Bus children are aware of this link resulting in several positive behavior changes that impact their health.
- 77.52% of children at Magic Bus follow good practices related to personal hygiene including hand washing, brushing, bathing and cutting nails.
- They also follow food- and water-related hygiene practices with 94% of parents reporting that their children observe food-related hygiene such as washing vegetables and fruits before cooking or eating.
A key part of our curriculum works at the level of attitudes that translate into healthy habits. Each and every Magic Bus child (100% of the sample selected) who graduates from our programme believes:
- that open defecation is a major health hazard. This is significant especially in light of the fact that60% of Indians still defecate in the open.
- that substance abuse (including smoking cigarettes) is harmful.
- that playing sports is crucial to maintaining a healthy mind and body.
In India, discussions on sex, reproduction, menstruation and related subjects remain taboo. As a result, most children have false information regarding this aspect of their lives, and consequently less control over their sexual and reproductive health.
According to the National Family Health Survey-3 (2005-06), only 6.3% of girls/ women who had never been married had spoken with a health worker about menstrual hygiene in the three months preceding the survey. In Magic Bus, however, 82.66% of the girls know about and practice menstrual hygiene – washing their pads and drying them in sunlight, changing their pads regularly and maintaining genital hygiene to prevent yeast infections.
Nationally, only 34.7% women are aware that consistent condom use can help prevent HIV and AIDS. Among Magic Bus children, this figure is a compelling 92%: which means that as many as 92% of children at Magic Bus know that condoms prevent HIV infection.
Nationally, in the age group 15-19 years, 47.4% of girls are undergoing teenage pregnancies, putting themselves and their prospective child in danger. Girls in the Magic Bus show a markedly high awareness on this issue. 62.07% are aware that the right age to begin childbearing is 21, thus giving them more control over their bodies.
In 2007, a study on child abuse commissioned by the Government of India revealed that 53.22% of children in the country had experienced sexual abuse in some form. Magic Bus teaches children to protect themselves from sexual abuse. 77.78% Magic Bus children are aware of the difference between good and bad touch, thus enabling them to make an informed choice regarding the physical relationships they have with others.
A fourth and perhaps most significant area of impact is in improving life chances and the right to self-determination. Children who graduate from the Magic Bus programme are choosing their own futures and careers, successfully negotiating with parents and other key adults in their lives to be treated equally and with dignity. They are also successfully overcoming challenges like patriarchal beliefs and constraints to emerge as college students, with an eye on their careers, the same as their peer members from privileged backgrounds.
- 9 out of 10 of Magic Bus children are first-generation learners getting into higher education or jobs.
- 92.42% of school teachers including Principals felt that Magic Bus sessions help a child develop self-awareness and control and improves her/his decision-making skills.
- 98% school teachers, including Principals, felt that Magic Bus sessions are fun, and help strengthen inter-personal relationships, enhance teamwork, and help children realize their potential.
- Magic Bus children display leadership in action: 97% have taken up issues and worked on resolving them within their communities.
Many, like Gaurang and Gulafsha (read her story in the case story section of the Magic Bus website) have decided to initiate their own initiatives to promote the right of girl children to choose and decide for themselves.
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