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Hello, good afternoon.

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As he said, my name is Jeroo Billimoria

3
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and what I like doing is 
starting organizations

4
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because I think everyone of us can 
do something to change the world.

5
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So, here you see two things:

6
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Child Helpline International 
and Aflatoun.

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I've started six organizations,

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so I'll share with you 
a bit of my journey

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and ask you all some questions 
on the way, if that's okay.

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I started very young, actually, 
I started when I was sixteen,

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and that's when I argued with my mom 
and started my first organization.

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You know, we all do that 
as adolescents, right?

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And that was basically 
to teach math skills to students

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so that they would not fail in school.

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And that was where it started.

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Then of course I went abroad,
studied, the whole gamut,

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and was working 
with street children in India.

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They said that they wanted somewhere 
where they could call up 24 hours a day,

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not between the convenient times 
of our social workers,

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because they said,
"You all make money,

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you make it at our expense, but 
you're never there when we need you."

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That was basically what they said.

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So they said, "Have a service!"

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When we first went there,

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and I approached the Telecom 
authorities and other people,

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they said, 
"A phone service with street children?

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And who will run it? 
You mean professional people?"

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I said, 
"No, the kids themselves will run it."

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And they thought I was crazy.

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So they refused and we didn't get 
a toll free number from the government.

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So we tried again, and this time 
we said, "Let's be smart."

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I was teaching at Tata Institute,

33
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but there were no student researchers 
who wanted to work,

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so we got a bunch of street kids together 
and they did the first ever research study

35
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on why they as street kids wanted to have 
a phone service for street children.

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So we took this research study 
and then we went and presented it

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to the Deputy Director General 
of the Telecom,

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we got the toll free number 
and today, in a way, this is history.

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CHILDLINE India is a project 
of the government of India,

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it is part of the child protection system,

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we received two million phone calls
from children,

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are spread in 80 districts 
across the country,

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and based on the calls 
which came from CHILDLINE India,

44
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we now have a government policy

45
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where the government 
was forced to acknowledge

46
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the amount of demand there was 
for protection services

47
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and from a budget of one crore,
that's around 250,000,

48
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they now give 100 crore 
integrated child protection scheme

49
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linked to the policy.

50
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So that's what happened 
and it only happened

51
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because a bunch of kids had enough guts 
and were willing to follow and do stuff.

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From CHILDLINE India, 
which is still where my heart lies,

53
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we moved into 
Child Helpline International,

54
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so that's what you see over there.

55
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Many countries started asking us 
about helplines for children by children.

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Germany has a very established helpline,
which has been there for almost 25 years.

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Which is from -- 
all of you know.

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But there are no helplines 
in economically developing countries

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because everyone said telecoms cannot work 
for economically developing countries,

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even though CHILDLINE India 
had proved otherwise.

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So we said, okay, let's take up 
the challenge globally, and we did.

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Today, we are Child Helpline International, 
it's in 150 countries.

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We have live helplines 
in more than 110 countries

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and respond to between 14-18 million 
calls and contacts annually

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and have helped on an annual basis 
more than a million children

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who were being abused 
from different sorts of abuses.

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So basically if you will look at this story, 
I think the important thing is that

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anyone of you can have an idea and then,

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if you just follow your heart 
and your dream, and ...

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It's easy!
(Laughter)

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Just ... go ahead 
and just do it, you know?

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And you'll be able 
to work with a lot of people,

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So -- looking at that.

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But after taking Child Helpline global

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and today, since its inception, we have
responded to more than 55 million calls,

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that's more than 
half a billion phone calls,

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and helped millions 
and millions of children.

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But I can tell you myself,

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I don't mean to be complacent, 
what is the cause of the problems?

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Why do the children run away, 
why is there abuse in the homes?

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What is happening?

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Even with the economic crisis,

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everyone's talked about
the millions that have been lost,

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the billions of bailouts, 
rescue packages, the whole gamut.

85
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But the truth is that the child, 
who is most affected,

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nobody has ever talked about that.

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Through the crisis, 
more children have been abused at home,

88
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more children have been 
forced to drop out,

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more children are not able 
to meet their basic school fees,

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and malnourishment 
in families has increased.

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So this is something that is happening
where macroeconomics affects children.

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So the question, not just with the crisis,
but even when I spoke to street children,

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why did they run away from home,


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is because they saw 
no opportunities at home.

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So then the question was,

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how can you work to create a society 
where every child really feels empowered?

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And then the question I posed, and 
I think actually some of my kids said,

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is what you really need to know is 
know about money, know how to use it.

99
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And here I'm going to take 
a one second break and ask you all:

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How many of you started saving
when you were children?

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Just raise your hands.

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Most of you.

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How many of you who have kids 
do teach your children to save?

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Or your cousins, or ...?

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Those who have kids, 
you teach your kids to save.

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What happens in a family 
which has never learned to save?

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Do they ever manage?

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Be it in Germany, be it in the US, 
be it in rural India?

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What happens? There is nobody
who can teach children about saving.

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Teach them about investments, teach them 
about believing and having a choice.

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And that is what Aflatoun does.

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Aflatoun teaches children 
to believe in themselves.

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I can go on and on about Aflatoun, 


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but here I'm going 
to take a two minute pause

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and ask them to show you a film 
which was made by Aflatoun

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with our kids in parallel.

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So I'll step aside 
so you can see the Aflatoun film

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which brings the spirit of what Aflatoun is.

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(Video)

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(Music)

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♪ I am Aflatoun ♪

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♪ I'm a fireball ♪

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♪ I come from outer space ♪

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♪ From far away I come ♪

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♪ I am Aflatoun ♪

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♪ I like playing games ♪

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♪ I live inside a child ♪

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♪ And give her strength, I do ♪

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♪ I like teaching your children 
about their rights ♪

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♪ I teach them saving and spending 
and enterprise ♪

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♪ They discover their powers, 
that's what I'm all about ♪

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♪ Separate fiction from fact ♪

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♪ Explore, think, investigate and act. ♪

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♪ Make a change around the world ♪

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♪ It's our choice 
as an Aflatoun boy and girl ♪

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♪ I'm aware of what my rights are ♪

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♪ and how this can bring me so far ♪

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♪ But I know what my duties are too ♪

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♪ I'm an empowered child! ♪

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♪ I am Aflatoun ♪

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♪ I know who I am ♪

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♪ The flame that burns so bright, 
burns in me too, it does. ♪

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♪ I am Aflatoun ♪

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♪ I save coins and things ♪

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♪ Things that are valuable 
are safe with me, they are. ♪

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♪ Aflatoun helped show me 
how to plan my stuff ♪

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♪ So when it comes to resources, 
I'll have enough ♪

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♪ I'm tremendously happy, 
it's in my neighborhood. ♪

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♪ Separate fiction from fact ♪

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♪ Explore, think, investigate and act. ♪

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♪ Make a change around the world ♪

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♪ It's our choice 
as an Aflatoun boy and girl ♪

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♪ I'm aware of what my rights are 
and how this can bring me so far ♪

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♪ But I know my duties well too ♪

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♪ I'm an empowered child! ♪

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♪ Separate fiction from fact ♪

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♪ Explore, think, investigate and act ♪

158
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♪ Make a change around the world ♪

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♪ It's our choice 
as an Aflatoun boy and girl ♪

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♪ I'm aware of what my rights are 
and how this can bring me so far ♪

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♪ But I know my duties well too ♪

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♪ I'm an empowered child! ♪

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JB: Now, I was a school teacher, 
or at university, I still ask:

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What was there in the film?

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What were the messages 
we were communicating?

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I have seven minutes, so I can ask. 
(Laughter)

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Any idea?

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What was the main message that Aflatoun, 
according to the film, communicates?

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Woman: I'm an empowered child.

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JB: Yeah! You're an empowered child.

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Yeah. Anyone else? ... No?

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Man: Learning can be fun.

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JB: Learning can be fun!

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Someone else?

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Man: Saving money.

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JB: Saving money! Yeah!

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That's one of the main things
Aflatoun teaches,

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it teaches you to believe in yourself,

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it teaches you to save your money,

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resources, water, electricity,
everything,

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and it teaches you to be entrepreneurial, 
so you can go and follow your dream.

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That's what it teaches.

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Aflatoun is the fireball which unites

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approximately 800,000 children 
in 40 countries across the world.

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When we started with Aflatoun, 
everyone said,

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"We are not funding this. Teaching 
children to save money is bad."

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I'm not joking! Honestly. 
And I said,

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"But don't you teach your own children?"

189
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Yes, but teaching children 
to save money is bad.

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No NGO was willing to collaborate
and no donor was willing to fund us.

191
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So for the first four years actually, 
my husband and myself said,

192
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"Ok, we'll fund it to whatever extent 
of money we have."

193
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We aren't rich, but we said, 
"Let's just do it."

194
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And then we built it. In 2008, 
we launched the campaign,

195
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and just least year we had around 
560,000 children saving.

196
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And I have a question to all of you:

197
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How much do you think, last year, 
560,000 children saved?

198
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Most of these children are from 
less than a dollar a day families.

199
00:12:38,333 --> 00:12:42,436
Take your guess! 
How much do you think they saved?

200
00:12:42,636 --> 00:12:47,036
Collectively. Remember, there's 
less than a dollar a day families.

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Man: One million!

202
00:12:48,706 --> 00:12:54,839
JB: Go higher! You're right!
2.6 million! That's what they saved!

203
00:12:55,209 --> 00:13:01,479
Can you imagine?
2.6 million is what the children saved.

204
00:13:01,689 --> 00:13:06,066
And they started 
five thousand enterprises.

205
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Enterprises to start livestock,

206
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so a child saved, bought a chicken, why?

207
00:13:12,796 --> 00:13:16,116
So that he or she could then 
have money to go to school,

208
00:13:16,116 --> 00:13:19,547
because they saved the money, 
have the chicken, get eggs,

209
00:13:19,547 --> 00:13:22,250
make a revenue, and can eat.

210
00:13:23,080 --> 00:13:28,114
Some school children took gunny sacks and 
planted potatoes in their school playground!

211
00:13:28,114 --> 00:13:31,854
Yet others took waste and 
made bags from them.

212
00:13:32,794 --> 00:13:37,144
Yet others decided that there was 
enough space to do rice,

213
00:13:37,144 --> 00:13:42,533
so they planted rice fields in that small 
patch, and that became part of the thing.

214
00:13:42,533 --> 00:13:46,448
Others opened school canteens 
and a zillion more things.

215
00:13:47,438 --> 00:13:51,627
So, all I'm trying to say is that 
if we are able to teach children,

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they have the power and the ability 
to be the agents of change.

217
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And that is what Aflatoun is about.

218
00:14:00,803 --> 00:14:04,621
So that is what we do, 
that is what we believe in,

219
00:14:04,621 --> 00:14:06,473
that is what we take forward.

220
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Nine out of ten times, 
when we start something,

221
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nobody is willing to believe in us.

222
00:14:12,129 --> 00:14:15,207
And I can go on and on about 
how many people say no,

223
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but there are some people 
who are willing to invest in us.

224
00:14:18,013 --> 00:14:21,125
And I think those are actually 
the more courageous people

225
00:14:21,125 --> 00:14:23,153
than people like me 
who want to start things.

226
00:14:23,153 --> 00:14:25,627
I think Bart sitting there will agree.

227
00:14:25,627 --> 00:14:27,591
Because you start, fine,

228
00:14:27,591 --> 00:14:31,971
but it's the investors who say, "Hey, 
we believe in you, we take it forward."

229
00:14:31,971 --> 00:14:36,376
And that means everyone of you 
who is sitting here in this room

230
00:14:36,376 --> 00:14:41,659
has the ability to be an investor 
and to be the change,

231
00:14:41,659 --> 00:14:45,033
to be the movement which we need,

232
00:14:45,033 --> 00:14:48,468
so that our children 
don't have a financial crisis,

233
00:14:48,468 --> 00:14:51,954
so that our children can see a future

234
00:14:51,954 --> 00:14:56,043
and, like this film said, 
be empowered children and citizens.

235
00:14:56,043 --> 00:14:58,189
And the change is not with me, 
it's with you.

236
00:14:58,189 --> 00:14:59,371
So I hope we can do it.

237
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Thank you very much.

238
00:15:00,712 --> 00:15:02,835
(Applause)