Letters from Bam reach children in Germany
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© UNICEF Iran |
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The letters were delivered to the German children at a ceremony in March 2006; the local newspaper covered the event. |
A group of children in Germany finally got some long-awaited answers in March. After the Bam earthquake in 2003, children in the fourth grade at Feldbuschwende School in the town of Hannover learned about the damage that was brought upon the Iranian city and its residents. They decided to start a collection and write letters to the children of Bam expressing their concern, sympathy and personal solidarity.
It took a while, but these letters finally reached the children of Bam in late 2005. Boys and girls in the fourth grade at Hoda and Tohid primary schools received copies of the letters, which had been translated from German into Farsi. With great excitement they wrote back to their new friends, drawing pictures and telling their transcontinental counterparts about their lives, families and hobbies, which included a shared interest in football, movies and pizza.
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© UNICEF Iran |
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Girls at the Hoda Primary school in Bam wrote letters to their German peers about their lives, families and hobbies. |
With the help of the UNICEF office in Iran, these letters were sent back to the German National Committee for UNICEF. A small event was organized in the Hannover school hall by the children’s former teacher, Mrs. Nonnast, who initiated the letter project two years ago and Rudolf Leinweber from the local UNICEF volunteer group. Amid dancing and singing, the letters were handed over to the children. A local newspaper, Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung, was on hand to cover the event.
“We collected a little donation to support UNICEF programmes in Bam,” said 10-year-old Violetta, one of the students in Hannover, with reference to a spontaneous donation of 100 Euros collected by the children.
Many of the children in Bam gave their home addresses and telephone numbers, inviting the German children to stay in touch and visit them in Iran. They also offered to send presents from Iran to Germany. This may be the start of a beautiful friendship.
