Welcome to Hope Letters
Hope Letters Press Release: 1,000 hope letters from around the world made available to classrooms and evacuation centres across Japan
Why send hope letters?
The 9.0 earthquake in Japan has been described as the biggest in modern Japan. This disaster will no doubt leave irreparable scars and horrid memories in the minds of many, including children and youth who will live on with such burdens. Many children may find themselves in temporary schools and shelter with different classmates and teachers. Some may move to other towns to continue life. All will be told to try to study but the reality of the devastation will be hard to ignore. So too will relief workers from Japan and around the world experience this devastation first-hand. They may stay for weeks and months but what they will take away will last a lifetime.
Recent Highlights
- Hope Letters has received nearly 4,000 letters. Volunteers are working hard to translate them into Japanese.
- Letters distributed to an evacuation centre in Yamagata (Oishida, mid-March, Sagae City, mid-April), a community centre in Yamagata (mid-March), and to official Volunteer Centers in Miyagi and Iwate Prefectures (April).
- Media coverage includes CBC in Canada, NBC in Bay Area (San Francisco and San Jose), US local news (NY, NC), and community newspapers (NJ, BC Canada).
What else can you do?
- Get your school/group to write hope letters at a class or special event. Tell a teacher.
- Know Japanese? Or good with web development or graphics design? Know someone who does?
- Help Hope Letters connect with Japanese teacher networks, community organizations, local media or any resident in affected areas.
- Share this website with your family and friends. Add Hope Letters Facebook page to your Facebook, share and see Hope Letters status updates.
- Donate to established charities.