"I show children how to do origami with my hands. All you need is paper and your hands. Even if you don't speak the same language you can demonstrate the folds and creases."Twice a week Kyoko Kimura, 49, who lives in a rambling thatched house in Clovelly, drives to Khayelitsha to teach origami - the intricate Japanese art of paper folding - to a group of children aged five and six."When I started at the beginning of the year they were shy. Who was this strange woman with her bits of paper? And they asked me to fold it for them but that's one thing I'm very firm about: I always say 'do it yourself'. The look of pride on their faces is lovely to see when they make something."The children live in an informal settlement, Monwabisi Park, and attend a creche at the Endlovini Community Centre, run by Buyiswa Tonono."I've rented a small office in the community centre and that's where I sit on the floor with the children. We all made paper houses for the first class and they were so proud of their work."How did Kyoko go from Japan to teaching origami in Khayelitsha?Xenophobic attacks near Fish Hoek in 2008 led to the formation of Soetwater refugee camp. There were more than 100 displaced children and Kyoko started going to the camp a couple of times a week to help. She started Origami for Africa in 2009 when she saw how it helped struggling children."I realised that if I had some paper I could teach them simple origami. We couldn't speak the same language but we could communicate through origami."In 2011 Kyoko started giving weekly origami lessons to a group of children at Wesbank No 1 Primary School near Kuils River. She is obviously proud of the Wesbank students."They have expanded their world through Origami for Africa," said Kyoko softly."The community really embraced it and parents have often thanked me for the difference it has made in their lives. They have become so confident in their ability in origami and this has led to them giving origami workshops to other children and adults. They are now developing leadership skills."The Wesbank origami group gave workshops at Kirstenbosch and Iziko Museum last year and next month they are going to Stellenbosch to teach origami to the public at the Ubuntu Youth Film Festival .Kyoko grew up near Tokyo and made hundreds of origami cranes because "that's what all children do in Japan"."If someone in our class was ill or had other bad news, we would make 1000 cranes ."Kyoko became interested in living in Africa when she was a child."When my parents said that I could study overseas I chose to go to England and do African studies at Kent University. It wasn't that I was really an academic - I really wanted to live in Africa."Kyoko visited South Africa in 1991 and the following year she moved to Johannesburg, where she studied a BA in psychology and anthropology through Unisa."I also started working for a small Japanese NGO, the People's Education Support Fund, as the national coordinator for their organisation, helping schools with equipment, training and support."Kyoko worked for the fund for 19 years. "When it closed down I wanted to be able to continue to help in education somehow. That's when I started teaching origami."For the past five years I've taught children from different places, including Wesbank Primary, St James Primary in Kalk Bay and a youth group in Tafelsig. I've also shown awaiting-trial prisoners at Pollsmoor Prison in Tokai how to do origami."Origami for Africa is doing its networking."We are connecting point to point, just like origami, and bringing different communities together to bring a new dimension to our lives and society."There is a branch of Origami for Africa in Gauteng, run by Cheryl Gibbs, and in Kleinmond with Niki Daly. There is a Facebook page called Origami For Africa and a website www.origamiforafrica.org.za.Origami teachesFine motor skillsHand-eye coordination; a sense of geometry and designResourcefulnessA sense of responsibilityLeadership skillsA sense of confidence..