Magic Bus receives the runner-up award for the Alcan Prize for Sustainability

Our Communications and Fundraising Director Alison Adnitt was invited to Vancouver and sponsored by Alcan to collect our runner up award in the Alcan Prize for Sustainability. The 4-day trip also included a conference where Magic Bus presented on its volunteer and community sports programme. 22 representatives from short-listed projects across the world came together, from Pakistan (this year's winners) to Mexico, from Ecuador to Ghana. It was an inspiring conference with lots of sharing of ideas, hurdles and achievements in all our work towards sustainable development. The conference highlight was an award giving ceremony where a short film that had been made by Alcan on Magic Bus especially for the prize was aired, and with a number of dignitaries from Canada and the Princess Aga Khan all in attendance.
Magic Bus has been awarded the opportunity to study for a post-graduate diploma in Cross Sector Partnership, which Alison will take up on behalf of the organisation. The part-time course at Cambridge University is aimed at capacity building Magic Bus to build stronger and more effective partnerships with the corporate sector and government and will be attended by senior level representatives of leading global companies, development organisations and governmental organisations.

For more information visit this link:

http://www.alcanprizeforsustainability.com/2006/en/prize2005/grant.asp

Magic Bus and projects in South Africa & Kenya

Our Programme Director, Alka Shesha, was sponsored by UK Sport to visit sport-for-development projects in South Africa and Kenya from 6th April to 22nd April.

Her account of an overwhelming experience.....

"Africa seems to become more & more my second home on earth …every time I step on this land & discover it a little more; its people, its stories, its culture and its earthy look touch my heart just like my own India and each time I fall in love more & more ……"
This time my visit was more extraordinary as I have come back richer & richer & richer …and this would not have been possible without the extreme support of Prof. Fred & Pippa (UK Sport), our friends & partners.

My journey of profound experiences began gradually in Capetown when I met people like Betty ( Score ) and Morne, Marleen & Prudence (Laureas) and shared all about our projects. I was also fortunate to be invited by Pippa to attend a workshop on Partnership & Monitoring tool with UK sport and their African partners. This was a great experience as I got to work along with some African practioners & funding partners in refining their monitoring tool. We at Magic Bus were already working on it and here I got a chance to share some of my own learning's as well.

The next couple of days I attended a conference on SPORT & DEVELOPMENT organised by Western Cape University. Here I attended most session pertaining Monitoring & Evaluation where by the end of the conference I was more confident than ever that our own tool for M & E was not only on the right track but we were one of few who are leading . It brought in me a determination & eagerness to complete the making of this tool not only for Magic Bus but for India or even Asia. I was the only representative in the conference from Asia.

My last but the most impactful part of my journey happened in Kenya ….MYSA (MATHARE YOUTH SPORTS ASSOCIATION) which is working for the last 17 years in slums of Mathare & Eastleigh reaches to 17,000 youngsters with a staff capacity of only 60 . The governance of MYSA is a voluntary service. The decision making power is with the governance. The governance is elected. It is impossible to explain MYSA through writing or words …it can only be experienced for a change to happen within you.

I experienced some very inspiring people like John Ndichu, George Nange, James, Joseph Jagero, Karanja, Francis & Serry. They all breath similar beliefs …'if you do for MYSA, MYSA will do for you ….' Learning by doing '…. They joined MYSA as youngsters of 12 & 13 years old and today they are the foundation of this massive organisation using foot ball for community development.

MYSA to me is a government in it self. Its about people who took charge of their own destiny with awareness, making choices for betterment & giving as much as receiving.

It is difficult to put into words what changed within me there but I do know that before I left I had been seeking desperate answers to many questions as a Director of Magic bus and I had no answers. But as I sat on the plane coming back home , I was ready to take charge with complete clarity on the path that we should lay for ourselves, even though they were less travelled … & even though the obstacles were many. I thought of my team back home & how we were completely whole to create yet another spellbound organisation in Asia where many stories of changing destiny were on the road to be created…..