Hiroshima 1943 Sadako Sasaki was born in the

Hiroshima 1943 Sadako Sasaki was born in the city of Hiroshima in Japan during the World War II. HIROSHIMA

August 6, 1945 She was two years old when the atom bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, where she lived with her family.

1949 -1953 Sadako was a healthy, friendly child who enjoyed going to school. She loved singing and doing sports.

1954 Ten years later she started feeling ill: the radiation had caused her leukemia.

1955 While she was in the hospital, Sadako's best friend, Chizuko, told her the legend of the thousand paper cranes.

Japanese legend If you fold 1, 000 origami cranes, you will be granted a wish

In Asia the cranes are symbols of longevity, healing, patience, and most of all lifelong love” Cranes are known to mate for life, a rarity in the animal world

1955 Soon, Sadako started to fold one thousand paper cranes so that the gods would grant her wish and make her well.

1956 When Sadako died, her classmates folded the three hundred fifty-six cranes that Sadako, was unable to finish.

With the support of students in more than 3, 100 schools around Japan and other countries the Society was able to build this bronze statue of a girl holding up a goldcolored "folded" crane that stands nine meters high.

Children's Peace Monument This is our cry. This is our prayer. For building peace in the world. The statue of Sadako in Hiroshima Peace Park

Every year on August 6, the city of Hiroshima holds a Peace Ceremonial to pray for the abolition of nuclear weapons and for world peace.

Please send your cranes to the following address: Peace Promotion Division The City of Hiroshima 1 -5 Nakajima-cho Naka-ku, Hiroshima 730 -0811 Japan Sadako and the thousand cranes 2009