Elementary school students in Hiroshima and Rwanda exchange pictures of peace
Jul. 10, 2015
by Rie Nii, Staff Writer
Pictures drawn by elementary school students in Hiroshima and Rwanda on the theme of peace were exchanged at Kami-nukushina Elementary School in Higashi Ward, Hiroshima. In the African nation of Rwanda, reconstruction work continues following that country’s civil war.
The interaction of the two schools began this past March when the sixth-graders at Kami-nukushina Elementary School listened to a talk by Marie Louise Towari, 49, the president of the non-profit organization (NPO) “Think About Education in RWANDA.” Three months later, Ms. Towari visited Kami-nukushina Elementary School and presented the sixth-graders with pictures drawn by children from her homeland of Rwanda. The children there are 6- to 12-year-old students from Umucyo Mwiza Primary School in the capital of Kigali. Umucyo Mwiza Primary School was founded by Ms. Towari’s NPO. The pictures feature drawings of folded paper cranes and peace messages written around the national flags of Rwanda and Japan.
Ms. Towari read aloud the messages “I love you” and “Peace and love are the most-needed ingredients in the world,” which were written in both English and Kinyarwanda. She explained that the messages include the students’ desire and hope that, under the same sun, Rwanda and Japan will enjoy good relations supported by peace-loving people.
Meanwhile, 35 sixth-graders at Kami-nukushina Elementary School made eight pictures of the Atomic Bomb Dome, folded paper cranes, the torii gate of Itsukushima Shrine, and the Earth being held by the index finger and middle finger of a hand, an image to represent peace. They offered explanations about the messages contained in each picture and gave them to Ms. Towari.
The pictures drawn by the Rwandan students will be displayed at a peace gathering on August 6 at Kami-nukushina Elementary School. The pictures drawn by the Japanese students will be exhibited at a peace concert at Umucyo Mwiza Primary School on August 15. Hana Ishimaru, 11, a sixth-grader, said, “I’d like the people of Rwanda to learn about Hiroshima through our pictures.” Ms. Towari said, “Pictures can bring the hearts of people together. I’m looking forward to finding out what the Rwandan children feel after seeing these pictures.”
(Originally published on July 6, 2015)
Pictures drawn by elementary school students in Hiroshima and Rwanda on the theme of peace were exchanged at Kami-nukushina Elementary School in Higashi Ward, Hiroshima. In the African nation of Rwanda, reconstruction work continues following that country’s civil war.
The interaction of the two schools began this past March when the sixth-graders at Kami-nukushina Elementary School listened to a talk by Marie Louise Towari, 49, the president of the non-profit organization (NPO) “Think About Education in RWANDA.” Three months later, Ms. Towari visited Kami-nukushina Elementary School and presented the sixth-graders with pictures drawn by children from her homeland of Rwanda. The children there are 6- to 12-year-old students from Umucyo Mwiza Primary School in the capital of Kigali. Umucyo Mwiza Primary School was founded by Ms. Towari’s NPO. The pictures feature drawings of folded paper cranes and peace messages written around the national flags of Rwanda and Japan.
Ms. Towari read aloud the messages “I love you” and “Peace and love are the most-needed ingredients in the world,” which were written in both English and Kinyarwanda. She explained that the messages include the students’ desire and hope that, under the same sun, Rwanda and Japan will enjoy good relations supported by peace-loving people.
Meanwhile, 35 sixth-graders at Kami-nukushina Elementary School made eight pictures of the Atomic Bomb Dome, folded paper cranes, the torii gate of Itsukushima Shrine, and the Earth being held by the index finger and middle finger of a hand, an image to represent peace. They offered explanations about the messages contained in each picture and gave them to Ms. Towari.
The pictures drawn by the Rwandan students will be displayed at a peace gathering on August 6 at Kami-nukushina Elementary School. The pictures drawn by the Japanese students will be exhibited at a peace concert at Umucyo Mwiza Primary School on August 15. Hana Ishimaru, 11, a sixth-grader, said, “I’d like the people of Rwanda to learn about Hiroshima through our pictures.” Ms. Towari said, “Pictures can bring the hearts of people together. I’m looking forward to finding out what the Rwandan children feel after seeing these pictures.”
(Originally published on July 6, 2015)
