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Magic Bus Research And Development

Magic Bus' research, development and management information system ensures that our work proceeds from a strong theoretical foundation, is grounded in the experiences of children who have been with the organization, and has empirical evidence testifying to its methods and impacts. In this way, we develop resilient and effective policies that help ensure that the program is always accountable and responsive to our key stakeholders – children and youth.

External Studies To Gauge Effectiveness and Impact

A select set of external evaluators are have studied the Magic Bus programme to gauge its effectiveness and impact →

  1. Sports-for-development, An Impact study: In a research initiative funded by Comic Relief and UK Sport and managed by International Development through Sport, Prof. Fred Coalter and John Taylor conducted a global research study in 2008 with 5 organizations to test the following hypothesis:

    ‘Sports as a tool can lead to the development of personal and social skills of young people’

  2. Praxis India conducted two external evaluations to assess the impact of the Magic Bus program →

    • The first study, conducted in 2010, was the Impact Evaluation of the Magic Bus Graduation Program,
    • and the second, conducted in 2012, was Magic Bus Need Assessment and Impact Study: Program Impact on Youth, their Mothers and the Communities they live in.
  3. The International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie) has selected Magic Bus as the agency for whom an independent study will be commissioned to understand the impact of the program on gender-equity. Click here to read about it →
  4. The Packard Foundation has funded 3 external validations of the Magic Bus program to enable the building of a 3 year programme on adolescent reproductive and sexual health in Bihar:
    • A review and assessment of the Magic Bus curriculum and approach (2013)
    • A review and assessment of the Magic Bus curriculum and approach for engaging with adolescents on reproductive and sexual health issues (2013)
    • A review and assessment of the Magic Bus MIS and Impacts focusing on their ability to capture changes in adolescent reproductive and sexual health (2013)
    Read about it here →

Magic Bus Commissioned Internal Studies

In addition to studies by external evaluators, Magic Bus regularly undertakes internal studies to assess our work →

  • Comic Relief Pilot Study

    Funded by Comic Relief, Magic bus is implementing a pilot project that focuses on enhancing the self efficacy, esteem and capacity of youth, encouraging them to take responsibility for their own development.

    These include the following research studies:
    • A baseline study with 137 children before they started taking part in the Magic Bus program
    • A midline study among 117 Magic Bus children who were with the program at the end of year one
    • Three baseline studies (with 103 non-Magic Bus children in all) conducted with partner NGOs to compare with Magic Bus programme
    • A baseline study on sexual and reproductive health with 117 Magic Bus children (13-18 years)
  • New Education Group (NEG)

    NEG-FIRE is funding an intervention in Chandrapur, Maharashtra with 3000 children and their parents. The project primarily covers tribal localities and is working on education and health.

    This includes the following research studies:
    • A baseline study with the target group (167 parents and 107 children) in 2011.
    • A midline study with the target group (114 parents and 107 children) in 2012.
  • Connect

    Magic Bus' Connect program is based in Mumbai and Delhi and focuses on enhancing youth employability skills.

    Research conducted includes:
    • Needs assessment with 79 youths in the BPT locality of Mumbai.
    • A baseline study with all enrolled youth (approximately 40).
    • Process documentation.
  • Longitudinal study among children attending Magic Bus sessions and those who do not

    A focused study in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra is currently underway to compare data on school enrolment, attendance, drop-outs, health-seeking behavior, hygiene, gender-sensitivity and inclusion between children enrolled and not enrolled in Magic Bus programs.

    If you want to know more about R&D at Magic Bus, please write to →

MIS at Magic Bus

In order to manage the data and information generated from a program that touches 2,50,000 lives every week,
we use InFocus, a web-based application, for reporting and analyzing our program information. The application enables us to record centrally the information we collect.

The MIS application facilitates the flow of information, monitors the performance and quality of what we do and provides periodic reports on the status of Magic Bus stakeholders with regard to education, health, gender-equity, livelihood options, leadership skills, personal and social development of adolescents.

To know more, please write to →