Magic Bus young leaders and employees stand with the government to help fight the coronavirus pandemic by distributing food and relief kits to 52000 people across India

Magic Bus young leaders and employees have been working tirelessly in crisis zones in rural and urban locations across India to ensure children and their families are well taken care of in the wake of the #COVID19outbreak. They have distributed food and relief kits to 52000 people across several of the 80 districts where Magic Bus is present in India. Relief kits include rice, dal, oil, vegetables, food, soaps and masks. Cooked food is also being distributed to migrants living on the streets. The young leaders are also sensitizing communities on hygienic practices, like hand washing techniques, using masks or to cover their face while sneezing or coughing and adopting social distancing. In some regions young leaders are working with the government to carry out door-to-door surveys to contain the COVID-19 spread. They are working with the police force to regulate crowding of people in public areas. They are also helping with food distribution  to government hospitals where patients have been isolated. To date, Magic Bus teams through phone call based standard messaging, have reached more than 100,000 children and their parents who are a part of its programmes, to create awareness regarding COVID-19, ways to prevent the infection, appropriate hand washing, social distancing and the need to avoid crowds and stay home .

Dhanashri Brahme, Chief of Programme Operations, Magic Bus says “The communities we work with are facing uncertain times, their struggles exacerbated with the loss of wages and food shortage and the lack of information and awareness regarding infection prevention practices. We are using our reach and strength to help all those most in need across communities. We have so far distributed basic essentials to more than 52000 people, in the last ten days, but we need all the support we can get to enhance our outreach. Our phone call based messaging and door to door awareness building is working, from the several feedback messages and videos we have received from children and family members. Simple messaging through posters and demonstrating the how and why of hand washing and maintaining physical distance, while teams themselves adhere to these practices while in the community, has truly ensured learning by doing. Social behaviour change communication is where our core strength is and we will continue to focus on that.

You can support us to fast track relief efforts to the most vulnerable in India. Donate to: https://bit.ly/MBCOVIDRelief

From 3000 children in 1999 in Mumbai, Magic Bus has transformed over one million children and young people living in poverty, taking them from a childhood full of challenges to a life with meaningful livelihoods. Magic Bus is one of the largest poverty alleviation programmes in India, impacting 3,75,000 children and young people in 22 states and 80 districts of India, in this year alone. We deliver our sports activity-based sessions in close to 1961 communities and 930 schools in both urban communities and remote rural areas. Since the Livelihood programme began in 2015, we have 42 Livelihood centres. Through these livelihood centres, 30,000 youth have been trained and more than 70% placed in jobs in the organised sector with an average salary of INR 10,287.