Ricky Richard Anywar is a human rights and peace building activist, educator, and administrator with broad non-profit management experience for more than 19 years. He worked with the Ministry of education and sports in Uganda at its headquarters in Kampala and served as project advisor to community-based human rights organizations, working in the areas of peace building, income generation, health, education, arts and culture, and economic development.

​Ricky was forced to become a child soldier under Joseph Kony and now uses the impact of his lived experiences to help over 20,000 former child soldiers, underage mothers, and other vulnerable children since 1999. He is the Founder/Executive Director of Friends of Orphans, a child-focused non-profit charity organization based in Uganda, dealing with former child soldiers, abductees, orphans, child mothers and vulnerable women heading families from the Pader district. All of whom are and continue to be affected by the war in Northern Uganda. Ricky has experience in working with disadvantage communities, war and HIV/AIDS affected communities, and internally displaced persons. Friends of Orphans teaches vocational skills, life skills, micro finance activities, and provides resources to assist with trauma endured from the war.

2008 World of Children Honoree
2008 Harriet Tubman Freedom Award
​2017 Child 10 Award
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Healing the wound of war, a documentary about Friends of Orphans activities and work can be found online.