Thousand Crane Club

The “Thousand Crane Club,” like the older Paper Crane Club, began through the efforts of young people. Prompted by the extensive foreign media coverage of the 40th anniversary, students at the Hiroshima International School began to ask themselves, “What can we do so no other kids have to go through what Sadako went through?” The answer was simple: “Maybe we could start a club. Why not contact children around the world and tell them about Sadako? We could ask them to fold paper cranes and send then to the Children’s Peace Monument. Maybe this could be the start of an activity that would help to keep Hiroshima and peace in the minds of children all the time, not just on special anniversaries such as the 40th anniversary.” Since its inception two years ago, the Thousand Crane Club has received nearly 100 boxes of strands of cranes from schools in Australia, Japan, Guatemala and the United States. Inquiries, requests for the club’s booklet and letters of support have come from schools in lands the world over.