Incorrect numbers have a way of putting me over the edge, like chalk on a chalkboard. On other blogs, I keep seeing "60 - 150 million children live on the streets [in Ethiopia]." I take a deep breath and try to remain calm and gracious: the total population of Ethiopia is 90 million, including 42 million children (see World Factbook).
Please, I beg of you, think about the numbers that you are sharing. Do they make sense? Do you have some basis or reference for them? If not, say what you mean without giving a particular number, like "many" children live on the streets. This is true, and every single one of them is precious.
Numbers matter enough to get them right, and they are not that difficult to get. There are some great resources for current, accurate numbers (updated even since the statistics that I posted last year), including the CIA's 2011 World Factbook and UNICEF's The State of the World's Children 2010 Statistical Tables.
Happy number crunching!
Just another Soapbox Monologue brought to you by me, myself and I. Yes, I sometimes annoy myself too.
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Angela, you make a great point. I always appreciate how much research you put into your posts. It is our job to make sure we are accurately portraying the processes we go through (especially adoption) and not making Ethiopian culture seem something it isn't. Thanks for taking the time to write this- I think it is respectfully written and I 100% agree!
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your research and that you take the time to share it!
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