Len, at 73 years of age and Lucy, 19 are hoping to raise money for an orphanage in the secretive and reclusive country of North Korea.

This Communist nation is one of the most tightly controlled countries in the world. The people are ruled with an iron fist. No dissent of any kind is tolerated.

Countless millions of dollars are spent on armaments and weapons of warfare, while large numbers of the people starve to death, as happened recently when an estimated two and a half million were reduced to eating grass and still perished.

Anyone caught attempting to escape is jailed for years and possibly subjected to torture and persecution. It's doors are tightly closed to tourists and any visitors from other countries.

However, in the last five years a very small window of opportunity has opened up in the mountainous north of the country near the Chinese border. The region is centred around a port city by the name of Rason, which has been designated a special economic zone because of the great needs existing there.

A few non-government organisations have been allowed to enter and open up humanitarian works of various kinds. Seven years ago an orphanage was founded under the auspices of the Uniting Church of Australia, with two former Korean nationals in charge working as volunteers.

The orphanage currently has about 60 children of all ages from toddlers to 17 year olds. These children rise at dawn for breakfast and then begin the one hour walk to school. At lunchtime they walk back to the orphanage, before returning to school for the afternoon session, making a total of four hours a day spent trudging backwards and forwards.

Len and Lucy are going on an organised bike ride with a tour group and have decided that this is a project worthy of a fundraising effort.

``The needs of the orphanage are many, including the construction of a Tuberculosis clinic and a car for the clinic, a van to transport the children, a nurses training school and much, much more,'' Len said.

``So if you feel constrained to help in this project - and we hope that you do - please phone myself on 5356 6183, or Lucy on 5356 6357. All donations will receive an official receipt..

``Now that this very small window of opportunity has been opened in North Korea, maybe it will help in the eventual breaking down of the many barriers that still exist in this country which has been cut off from the rest of the world for so long,'' he said.