Minnetonka mom's mission brings teddy bears – and love – to orphaned African kids

Every week, Amy Berman sits at her computer, posting pictures of children, from toddlers to tweens.

Some grin for the camera, while others offer a shy smile or a serious gaze. But all the children have two things in common: They're orphans of Africa's HIV/AIDS epidemic, and each clutches a handmade teddy bear from the Mother Bear Project.

That's the international nonprofit that Berman accidentally launched to bring a touch of tenderness to some of the world's poorest children.

"Many of these kids have never had anything of their own," said Berman, of Minnetonka. "Every child needs something to play with or sing to, to cuddle at the end of the day."

Fourteen years ago, Berman, then a suburban mother of two working in ad sales, saw a news story about child rape in Africa, which is perpetuated by the myth that sex with a virgin could cure AIDS.

"I was out of my mind with outrage," recalled Berman, now 53. "I had to do something."

She seized on the idea of shipping stuffed bears — just like the ones her mother had made. They were made from a pattern that originated during World War II, when volunteers knitted bears for English children who were evacuated during the bombing.

"I had no idea what I was walking into, but I went with it, and it's been magical," she said.

One of the most devoted bear makers is Sister Lauren Spence. The 90-year-old former art teacher, who lives in a retirement home for the School Sisters of Notre Dame in Mankato, has made 2,230 bears.

"They don't know me and I don't know them, but gosh, what a thrill it is to think about bringing happiness to a little kid," she said.

Berman picks up bears that have been shipped by the volunteers, tags them with the name of the knitter, writes a thank-you note, then takes the bears to volunteer groups that sew red hearts onto each one.

Once a month, a thousand bears are sent to Africa, where they are distributed by schools, clinics and nonprofit organizations. A photo is taken of each new bear owner.

"The reality that, in my spare time, I could make something for a child who has so little was profound," she said.

To fund the effort, Berman relies on donations and sells patterns on her website, motherbearproject.org. Volunteer knitters contribute $3 per bear for shipping costs.

"The bears are not given as rewards or gifts for holidays," she said. "They're sent to provide unconditional love — and they do."