KIZUNA A HOPE FOR JAPANESE CHILDREN SUFFERING FROM THE EFFECTS OF EARTHQUAKE AND TZUNAMI

The Japanese word ‘Kizuna’ means solidarity or tie. Slovak and Romanian students have joined the campaign of UNESCO in their eTwinning volunteering project « VOLUNTEER VOICES ».

UNESCO has adopted the word for a new campaign. School children from around the world are being asked to write a message of hope on a postcard. The aim is for each of the thousands of school children who were affected by the earthquake and subsequent tsunami that hit northeast Japan on 11 March, to receive a postcard as an act of solidarity.

On that fateful day over 7000 schools were destroyed or damaged by the Tsunami, mostly in the coastline area of Tohoku region. In one tragic case among many, more than 70 percent of pupils were swept away by the tsunami. The remaining 30 percent of children in that particular school are understandably traumatized as are thousands of other school children in the region. Many children lost everything - their parents, friends, houses and schools. Many more continue to live in shelters. Sending some words of hope or drawing a picture symbolizing friendship on a postcard, shows these children that they have not been forgotten.
The word Kizuna conveys a powerful message of unity. Our conviction is that reconstruction, both physically and psychologically, must start with education, with schools, students and teachers.”
The Sendai branch of the National Federation of UNESCO Associations in Japan collects the postcards and then it will distribute them to school children and teachers in the affected region of Japan.
Postcards with sincere wishes of our young people were sent to
Sendai UNESCO Association
1-2-2 Oomachi, Aoba-ku,
Sendai City, 980-0804 JAPAN
THESE ARE SOME OF OUR WISHES TO JAPANESE CHILDREN WRITTEN IN THE POSTCARDS :
-DO NOT GIVE UP ! BETTER FUTURE AWAITS FOR YOU !
-WE ARE WITH YOU !
-WE SUPPORT YOU !
-MY HEART IS WITH JAPANESE CHILDREN AND PEOPLE !
-I HOPE AND BELIEVE THE JAPANESE WILL OVERCOME THE PROBLEMS AND CRISES AND I WISH YOU GOOD LUCK !
-BE STRONG – WE LOVE YOU !
-WE PRAY FOR YOU ! GOD IS WITH YOU !