After being diagnosed with leukaemia from the radiation, Sadako’s friend told her to fold origami paper cranes in the hope of making a thousand of them. She was inspired to do so by the Japanese legend that one who created a thousand origami cranes would be granted a wish. Her wish was simply to live. This started the 1000 paper crane world children’s peace movement. It has become a powerful symbol for ‘life, hope and peace’ for all. This is how the Paper Crane Project started.
Students are led by the College Japan Cultural Trip students and are invited to come to CU3 during interval to fold a paper crane or two, which will be taken to Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Park by the 2018 Japan Cultural Trip Students.
Ms Kevern also said that the folded paper cranes are carefully strung together into 10 strings of 100 paper cranes and then attached onto a banner that on one side reads ‘2018 SMC Japan Cultural Trip: Our world Peace Message’ and on the other side is a bible verse and a prayer for world peace.
They will be placed at the Children’s Peace Monument in Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Park. The monument was originally erected to commemorate the spirits of child victims of the atomic bomb and now it is extended to all the child victims of world conflicts.
It is worth noting that the number of paper cranes put down at this statue is over 10 million annually. A bronze girl who holds a gold crane is standing on the top of the tripodal domed statue, and located next to the domed statue there are the statues of boys and girls symbolizing a bright future and hope.
Hiroshima is one of the destinations that the senior students of Japanese Language and Year 13 Digital Technology students will go to on their journey to Japan.
The overall message of the project is for the students at Sancta Maria College to care and pray for world peace.
The Paper Crane Project aims to give our students an opportunity to reflect and celebrate our faith.
‘Meanwhile, these three remain: Faith, Hope and Love; and the greatest of these is Love’.
1 Corinthians 13:13
Ethan Siao
