Residents of the Otino Waa Children's Village in Uganda participate in classroom learning. A benefit concert event to provide support for the village is Sunday at the Stanfield Baptist Church.

A Stanfield couple is putting their talents to use to raise money to support an orphanage in Lira, Uganda.

Scott and Kelly Zielke are heading up a concert fundraiser to help with a sustainable chicken farm at Otino Waa Children’s Village. The project provides food for nourishment and teaching skills in caring for the chickens. Additional eggs will be sold to help sustain the program.

The fundraising event features a band of local musicians, including Kelly Zielke (vocalist/songwriter), Scott Zielke (rhythm guitar), Nicolas Pando (drummer), Paul Eaker (bass), Mark Douglass (keyboard) and vocalists Denise Eaker and Maria Hurty. The concert is Sunday at 5 p.m. at the Stanfield Baptist Church, 310 E. Wheeler Ave. Donations will be accepted.

Also, Bob and Carol Higgins of Bend, founders of the orphanage, will share during the event. In addition, artwork created by inmates incarcerated in several Oregon prisons will be available for purchase through Visions of Hope. The nonprofit organization raises money to help support the children and widowed house-mothers at Otino Waa.

The Zielkes learned about the needs of Otino Waa Children’s Village during a missionary trip in 2013 with other members of the Stanfield Baptist Church. The couple has been active in church through Bible studies and leading worship music over the years. However, participating in the mission trip, Scott said, further impressed on his heart about the importance of reaching out.

“When I learned more and more about the orphanage, it seemed to be the right thing to do,” he said. “It wasn’t just another Bible study, it was actually going out and doing something.”

In addition, Kelly said the Bible in James 1:27 implores people to minister to widows and orphans. Supporting Otino Waa, she said, offers an opportunity to impact both.

With approximately 300 children, residents of the orphanage are divided into groups with eight kids. Serving as house moms, widows from the community care for the “family units.”

Rather than looking to adopt the kids out, Kelly said the mission of the orphanage is to provide the children with tools to survive and thrive.

“The focus is to make them future leaders in their own country by educating them and giving them the skills to be self-sufficient,” she said. “They also learn about God and his love and mercy.”

The couple, along with Judy Weidert of the Athena First Christian Church, will head to Uganda June 23 through July 7. The trio plans to take books to help stock the library at the children’s village.

All types of books are needed for kids in kindergarten through 12th grade. People can help support that effort by donating new or slightly used educational books, biographies, craft books and other publications that the kids can read for enjoyment.

For more information, call the Zielkes at 541-571-8153. For more about the children’s village, visit www.otinowaa.org and for the inmate art program, visit www.visions-hope.org.

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Contact Community Editor Tammy Malgesini at tmalgesini@eastoregonian.com or 541-564-4539