The Wimbledon Foundation, the charity of The All England Lawn Tennis Club and The Championships, has committed a further two years of funding to its project with children’s charity Magic Bus.
The project, which began in April 2015, uses tennis and other sports to teach children from underprivileged backgrounds in Delhi about the importance of education, hygiene, nutrition and gender equality. Through activity based learning, Magic Bus aims to alleviate poverty by taking children on a journey from childhood to livelihood. Trained volunteer “Community Youth Leaders” work with parents and others in the community to reinforce the positive messages delivered in the Magic Bus sessions.
During the successful pilot Magic Bus worked with over 1,600 children in the communities of Govindpuri and Tughlakabad and trained 47 new Community Youth Leaders. Magic Bus worked closely with parents to allow their daughters to attend and over the course of the year the number of girls participating in the programme grew from 22% to 39%.
The funding of INR 9,826,222 (GBP 100,000) over the next two years from the Wimbledon Foundation will enable Magic Bus to continue working with the children involved and reach a further 1,400 young people in the neighbouring communities of Ali Village and Gautampuri.
Ulrika Hogberg, Wimbledon Foundation & Community Manager said: “After seeing the impact on the young people involved in the project over the last 12 months and the power of tennis to help improve lives, the Wimbledon Foundation is delighted to be extending its partnership with Magic Bus. The project clearly demonstrates how tennis can be a force for good in society.”
Ellen Brooks from Magic Bus said, “The support from the Wimbledon Foundation not only enables us to deepen our engagement with children already involved but allows us to expand the project into other communities and help a further 1,400 young people. Through tennis-related activities, we are able to raise awareness of their right to education, as well as the importance of education to their future livelihoods.”
The partnership with Magic Bus builds on the success of the Road to Wimbledon in India, an All England Lawn Tennis Club initiative in association with HSBC and the AITA, which is aimed at boosting the development of junior tennis in India.
