Concert Aug. 15 Benefits Water Well Projects In West Africa

Villagers in Burkina Faso gather to show off their new water well, one of 10 dug this year and funded in 2013 by nine churches, including Windward Church of the Nazarene in Kaneohe. Photo from Dennis Hida.

Windward Church of the Nazarene plans its annual benefit concert from 5:30 to 8:45 p.m. Aug. 15 at Bay View Golf Park to support a Clean Water Well project in West Africa.

The event includes food, a bake sale, oxtail soup, Spam musubi, drinks and a silent auction. Entertaining the crowd will be Broadway vocalist Kristian Lei, 2014 Hoku award-winner Amanda Frazier, the Will Shine Band, Bobby Young and Dana Morton.

Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for intermediate and high school students, and $2 for elementary students.

“It’s hard to believe that along with eight other churches (six from Hawaii), we raised enough in 2013 to fund the digging of three emergency wells in Mali and 10 wells in Burkina Faso,” stated Dennis Hida, a volunteer with the effort.

Hida has been to the area and met with the people who benefited from the wells. Common to Burkina Faso (formerly Republic of Upper Volta) and neighboring Mali are poverty, famine, drought, crop failure and the lack of safe, accessible water for personal use.

For more information, call the church at 235-8787 or email dennishida@hotmail.com.