User:Almudo

I'd like to contribute to the wikipedia article on street children. However, I am aware that I might seem to have a conflict of interest in the area.

I am editor of the Open Directory's "streetkid" category. http://www.dmoz.org/Society/People/Generations_and_Age_Groups/Youth/Streetkids/

I am the compiler of "World Street Children News" http://streetkidnews.blogsome.com/

I also manage the "streetkidworld" channel on YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/streetkidworld

None of the above has any commercial purpose or provides any benefit to me personally. In all the above activities I attempt to be objective and non-discriminatory about the information provided. When I reference these sites I do so because I do not know of better sources available on the internet. If anyone can find other or better sources for the particular kind of information these sites provide I will be happy to cite them instead.

The primary purpose of all the above sites is to establish the reality of the social sub-group called "street children" and its global extent.

I am the owner of almudo.com: http://www.almudo.com/ This site has both informational and commercial purposes. As well as information and advocacy about the west african street children known as the almudos, it has a directory of street child projects and a large section of commercial pages. I will not cite almudo.com in any wiki since I clearly have a vested interest in the success of the site.

I am not associated in any way with any organization that works with street children. (almudo.com is not an organization)

I wish to contribute to the wiki article on street children because I have considerable knowledge and experience on the subject, and because I believe they are a discrete social phenomenon that should be included in Wikipedia.

Insofar as my personal opinions are concerned: a Wikipedia article about street children is important because one of the primary needs of street children is to be recognized. They are not generally seen as a global problem or responsibility. Governments and agencies endlessly shuffle them to the bottom of the list because street children have no power, no voice, no economic clout. They are refugees within their own societies and should be an open sore on the conscience of the world.

I recognize that Wikipedia strives to be objective and avoids advocacy and I expect whatever contributions I make to be within that general context. However, I am aware that I probably lack NPOV and will never attain it. Nevertheless, I want the article on street children to fully comply with NPOV and I will welcome any assistance to achieve this. Almudo (talk) 20:42, 12 February 2008 (UTC)Almudo