In Kitgum, a district in northern Uganda, civil war has been raging for decades, and those hardest hit are children. The rebel Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) has kidnapped tens of thousands of children and enlisted them in the war or as sex slaves. In addition to civil war children in Uganda face an AIDS epidemic that leaves many children orphaned and/or infected by the disease.

Ginny and Murray Black Kidd have set up the Bear Care Project to try to save some of Uganda’s children from the horrors that plague the country. The orphanage has 39 children aged 2-13, half of them HIV+, in their care. The orphanage costs US$2000 a month to run, and Ginny and Murray often pay out of their own pockets when funding falls short. Since 2003, Club West has made Bear Care project its primary charity in the hope that it can ease the orphanage’s financial burdens. Those who would like more information on the Bear Care Project can visit the charity’s website www.bearcareuganda.com.