'Kizuna' - a message of hope for Japan's School Children

We have the pleasure to inform you that UNESCO has launched a new campaign “Kizuna” to send messages of solidarity for the Tsunami affected schools’, children and teachers of Japan who need moral support from the world.

There are numerous international organizations that are engaged in campaigns for fund-raising for the victims. However, the 'Kizuna Campaign', spearheaded by the National Federation of UNESCO Association in Japan (NFUAJ) is unique in the sense that it addresses the need for addition psychological care for children who lost their parents, houses and schools.

For the details, please refer to the site below, which is available in all the UN languages.

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/media-services/single-view/news/kizuna_a_message_of_hope_for_japans_school_children/  

Although any child or teacher can send a postcard by him/herself, we would appreciate it if you could encourage schools to collect and send the messages in a package or box as it would facilitate our ‘out-end collaborator’ the Sendai UNESCO Association distributing to the destination. Should any school need help for shipment, please send the cards to their nearest UNESCO field office (contacts details: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/bfc/all-offices/), and they would forward them to the Sendai UNESCO Association.

　　　

           Attached please also find the press release on the Kizuna Campaign in six languages, which we would appreciate it if you could relay to the media in your country.

Section of National Commissions and Related Networks

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The Japanese word ‘Kizuna’ means solidarity or tie. 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. It also embodies the strength of our cooperation with Japan
over the past 60 years,” says Irina Bokova, Director General of UNESCO. “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 (NFUAJ) will collect the postcards
and then distribute them to school children and teachers in the affected region of Japan. Three educational institutions
in the Sendai Region will also help logistically with the Kizuna Campaign - Tohoku University, Miyagi University of
Education and Sendai Shirayuri Women's College.

The first NFUAJ club was created in Sendai in 1947. This grassroots movement led to the creation of the National
Federation of UNESCO Associations in Japan (NFUAJ) the following year, and it paved the way for Japan’s full
membership of UNESCO in May 1951.

Today there are 300 UNESCO Associations and Clubs in Japan and a further 5,000 throughout the world that carry out
volunteer activities in the regions where they have taken root.

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Postcards should be sent before 31 July, 2011 and addressed to:

Sendai UNESCO Association
1-2-2 Oomachi, Aoba-ku,
Sendai City, 980-0804 JAPAN

Messages should include:

The sender’s name, sex, age and address

Indicate whether the sender is a student or teacher

A written message or a picture

Be written in an official UN language or Japanese

If participating as a school or class, we encourage schools to collect and send the postcards in one big
envelope or box to facilitate the coordination in Japan.

Postcards can also be sent via the closest UNESCO regional office. These can be located at http://
www.unesco.org/new/en/bfc/all-offices/

Further information on Kizuna campaign and UNESCO Associated Schools Network
Contact : Julie Saito, + 33 1 45 68 12 25 - j.saito@unesco.org