In January 2010 Hidemi Tomita, General Manager of Sony CSR and Hisayo Shimokawa, Sony CSR Manager, went to India from their Tokyo headquarters to explore new business opportunities with a social perspective. They visited streetfootballworld network member Magic Bus India for a day, where they took part in activities and experienced life in one of the biggest slums in Asia.

Magic Bus India was introduced to Sony by streetfootballworld in 2009. As a first step in the partnership, Sony UK and Magic Bus’s UK office joined forces to create a short film for a fundraising event.  To intensify the relationship, Magic Bus invited the Sony CSR team to visit the programme in India.

Experiencing the programme firsthand
In Dharavi, one of the biggest slums in Asia in the centre of Mumbai, the two Sony CSR managers were introduced to Magic Bus India’s development programme and took part in an Explorer group session with children between the age of 7 and 10.

After the session, Magic Bus coordinator Naina took the team through the narrow, tricky lanes of the Dharavi slum community, crossing over blocked drains and slippery ground. She also introduced the Sony team to a few families whose children take part in the Magic Bus programme.

Ms Shimokawa later shared, “Participating in the session with the children was a wonderful experience. The explanation during the session and visiting the community, where the kids are from, certainly deepened our understanding of the philosophy of Magic Bus and the situation of the children.”

Business talk and future development
Later that day, Ms. Shimokawa and Mr. Tomita met Magic Bus founder and CEO Matthew Spacie to discuss the visit and develop ideas for a future relationship between Sony and Magic Bus.  One suggestion was a photography skills workshop for the children, with Sony contributing equipment and expertise.