Former US President George W. Bush showed his compassionate side by spending Fourth of July at an orphanage in Lusaka, Zambia.

George Bush, 66, and his wife Laura visited the Kasisi Children’s Home in Lusaka, one of the largest orphanages in the country.

Pictures released during George Bush’s one-week stay in Africa show him tenderly hugging a young boy and holding a baby while his wife looks on.

George Bush can be seen interacting with the children at the center which is home to 230 orphans – 60 of whom live with HIV.

George Bush during his mission to renovate a women's cancer screening center in Zambia

The former president appeared to be a hit with the children, who lined up to shake his hand and listened intently as he read to them.

His visit was part of a mission to raise awareness of a cervical cancer detection and treatment program he has set up in Zambia, which has the second highest number of cervical cancer cases in the world.

Many Zambian women infected with the disease are also living with HIV and have weakened immune systems, according to the Catholic Online.

“The saddest thing of all is to know a lady’s life has been saved from AIDS but died from cervical cancer,” George W. Bush told the website.

“And so starting in Zambia, the Bush Center, along with our partners, are going to put on a cervical cancer crusade to save lives.”

George Bush described his trip as “a labor of love” which was born out of a commitment to save lives.

Also on Independence Day, the former first family visited University Teaching Hospital where they opened the Center of Excellence for Women’s Cancer Control, which aims to reduce deaths from women’s cancers in the African region by raising the standards of care through education, training and research.

During his remarks at the hospital, George Bush said: “On our country’s birthday, it is important to remember the blessings of freedom and the blessings of being an American and to give back.”

 [youtube i7VWoCvyi7M]