By CHRISTINE SIMMONS

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Bush, reflecting on his time in office, said Wednesday that “one of the most uplifting” experiences of his nearly eight-year tenure has been witnessing the gains Africa has made in education and fighting hunger and disease.

Speaking at a charity dinner, Bush called the work done for Africa by his administration and family “a labor of love.” Before his remarks, he accepted the Bishop John T. Walker Distinguished Humanitarian Service Award, which pays tribute to leaders in humanitarian fields for Africa.

The dinner benefits Africare, a U.S.-based charity that aims to improve the quality of life in Africa by addressing needs in food security, agriculture, health and HIV/AIDS.

His voice rising, Bush said the heart of the U.S. policy in Africa is knowing that its people have the “talent and ambition and resolve to overcome” great challenges.

“We do not believe in paternalism. We believe in partnership, because we believe in the potential of the people on the continent of Africa,” he told an audience of about 1,500 in a hotel ballroom. “One of the most uplifting (experiences) has been to witness a new and more hopeful era dawning on the continent.”

Bush was honored for U.S. initiatives that have supported education, helped to suppress HIV/AIDS and helped to end hunger in African countries.

The White House has said the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief has supported care for more than 6.6 million people worldwide and allowed nearly 200,000 children in Africa to be born HIV-free through mother-to-child prevention work. The U.S. has trained more than 700,000 teachers, distributed more than 10 million textbooks and provided hundreds of thousands of scholarships to help girls go to school in Africa.

Bush defended his large contributions to Africa against those who say “What good does it do me, Mr. President, for our government to support Africa?”

“One, it is in our national security interest that we defeat hopelessness. It is in our economic interest that we help economies grow,” he said. “And it is in our moral interest that when we find hunger and suffering, the United States of America responds in a robust and effective way.”

The dinner is in memory of Bishop John T. Walker, the first African-American Episcopal Bishop of Washington and the longtime chairman of Africare’s board.