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Jeroo Billimoria: My name is Jeroo Billimoria.

Social Edge: Tell me a bit about what brought you to the conference and what projects you're working on.

JB: I came to the conference because I met Sally at the Schwab Foundation meeting and when we'd spoken about the Skoll Foundation and what it was doing, it sounded interesting. And then I liked the objectives of the conference. So I think it's the objectives and Sally that got me up.

SE: You're a social entrepreneur yourself.

JB: Yes.

SE: Can you share a bit about what you've been working on and what the passion is inside you that really drives you to serve the communities you do and the children you do?

JB: I work on something called Childline India Foundation (CIF) which, basically, is a phone service for street and runaway kids. We started in Bombay City and now we are in 55 cities of India and we have responded to over 4.8 million phone calls in the past seven years, mainly for medical assistance, shelter, children who have run away from home and a host of related problems.

Now I'm based in the Netherlands and what I'm trying to develop is Child Help Line International, a global network of telephone help lines for kids.

SE: What is it inside of you that sparked this interest? How did it get started and what were some of the challenges?

JB: For me it was simple. My family is very active in the social sphere and I started Childline because the kids used to call my house. So, I just followed what they were doing and built it.

SE: What were some of the challenges that you've seen as you've been building it? What are some of the stumbling blocks?

JB: The first major stumbling block, of course, for everyone is funding--trying to make sure you get that. Second is trying to keep the spirit with which it was started, and the core values the street kids wanted, in the project all through as we scaled up. And that has been kind of difficult, but we've managed. The third major stumbling block is, because we follow the franchise model, ensuring that the brand is kept across everybody. So these are the things.

SE: What have you gotten from the forum? What have been some of the highlights for you?

JB: Meeting academics. I was an academic for 10 years and just being back in the academic environment was wonderful. Seeing that they're not just thinking in ivory towers but are planning to integrate theory and practice, so I think that was very exciting. And meeting a lot of wonderful people, including Jeff Skoll, as you know.

SE: Tell us a little bit about what your conversation was like because you and Jeff were brainstorming ideas about the future of your project.