Vodafone Foundation partners with NGO Magic Bus to promote healthy living among adolescent girls

KOVALAM: A special campaign, spearheaded by Vodafone Foundation and NGO Magic Bus, that aims at promoting "Healthy Active Living Among Adolescent Girls" was inaugurated at Kovalam, in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of the state of Kerala. As a part of its commitment to harness the power of mobile technology to address social challenges, Vodafone Foundation is helping Magic Bus to implement, track and monitor the programme, through a specially developed mobile-based system.

Affirming Vodafone’s commitment to the programme, Abhijit Kishore, Business Head- Kerala, Vodafone India, said, “The right to play and indulge in sport and games is a basic right of every child. Sport helps develop the physical, mental and emotional quotients of children, even as it helps build focus and increase concentration. At Vodafone, we remain committed to leverage our capabilities and resources in partnering with the government and the social sector to play our due role in fostering development. I am confident that the ‘Healthy Active Living Among Adolescent Girls’ campaign will help bring about a positive change in the lives of the young ladies in Thiruvanathapuram. ”

The campaign was formally launched by the Dr  Shashi Tharoor, Former Union Minister and currently the Member of Parliament from Thiruvananthapuram. This campaign is designed to promote greater awareness about active play amongst adolescent girls; educate children, parents and school authorities about the benefits of physical activity and advocate about the need for healthy food habits.

The philanthropic arm of Vodafone, along with India Foundation (Magic Bus), has helped in transforming the lives of 5,000 marginalised, rural children from Thiruvananthapuram district, using a ‘childhood to livelihood’ approach. With a focus on activity-based learning sessions delivered by local mentors, this programme, specially developed by Magic Bus, aims to inculcate health and fitness as a culture in the lives of children from the tribal, coastal and rural communities.

The programme generates awareness about key issues related to health, education, nutrition and personal hygiene amongst children. Magic Bus, supported by Vodafone Foundation, trains local volunteers to become mentors to the children.

Thanking Vodafone for its support and contribution, Pratik Kumar, CEO, Magic Bus India Foundation, said, “The Vodafone Foundation-Magic Bus campaign aims to make sure adolescent girls growing up in Kerala have all the rights and privileges that will help them grow up healthy and confident. We are very happy to be partners with Vodafone and cherish their belief in our approach and work.”