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Exhibit Opens Eyes To AIDS' Toll

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By B.C. MANION, The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 17, 2007

Updated: 11/15/2007 06:13 pm

LUTZ - The statistics are staggering - and, after awhile, the headlines lose meaning.

So when World Vision decided to launch a national campaign to tell the human story of the horror of AIDS, it turned to children.

It wants to take people into the heart of Africa and into the world of children whose lives have been ravaged by AIDS.

It does this by telling the stories of Babiyre, Kombo, Mathabo and Emmanuel.

The children are the centerpiece of a traveling interactive exhibit, "World Vision Experience: AIDS - Step Into Africa," which is visiting 80 cities this year and next.

The tour stops this week at Van Dyke United Methodist Church, 17030 Lakeshore Road, Lutz.
Church volunteers have worked with a traveling World Vision crew to transform the gymnasium into a mock African village, and they're hoping as many as 4,000 people file through the exhibit, which began Friday and will conclude Monday night.

Worldwide, more than 40 million people have AIDS, with more than 4 million infected last year, according to World Vision, a Christian relief organization.

The tour is designed to share the authentic experiences of children touched directly by AIDS, said Mike Yoder, director of experiential engagement for World Vision.

"Every single photo in that exhibit is actually taken in that child's world," said Yoder, who added that more than 9,000 photographs were taken of the four children.

"You're hearing a compelling story of a child, you're seeing a captivating photography of that's child's real world. Then when you combine it with a recreated part of their world, then it takes it over the top," Yoder said.

"We are doing our level best to literally bring Africa to Tampa and to every city that we go to," he said.
Van Dyke United Methodist agreed to host the tour because it wants to raise the awareness of the devastating effects of AIDS, said Steve Batchellor, executive director of missions and outreach for the church.

It also wants to provide people with an opportunity to get involved, he said.

"As a local church, I think we need to be willing to do that," he said.

The tour can accommodate about 40 people at a time, so parking won't be an issue, he said. People are advised to go online or to call the church to schedule a time to visit the exhibit, he said.

"We'll also take walk-ups," he said. "We're here. We're open. The more people who come, the better."

The tour is set up on four tracks. As visitors walk through, they hear the story of one of four African children.

Babiyre is a young Ugandan girl who watched her father die and her mother grow weak. She worries she may be next.

Mathabo feels the sting of abandonment and faces hunger, assault and disease on her own in the highlands of Lesotho.
Kombo lives in a Kenya truck stop and fears the big trucks that barrel through - and the big disease that kills so many.

Emmanuel survives in the wild with his brother after losing his mother and home in Uganda. The young boy worries about the animals in the wild. His brother knows that's not all they have to fear.

Each story lasts a half-hour or so, and visitors may take any or all of the tracks.

The experience can be quite emotional, Yoder said.

"We're exposing people to something that's pretty difficult. People, occasionally, are shaken up by it," he said, but they generally appreciate having a clearer picture of the problem.

At the end of the tour, visitors are encouraged to write a note about their experience and post it; about 90 percent typically do, Yoder said.

"It's literally pouring out their souls at this point," Yoder said. "It actually becomes a very, very powerful part of the exhibit."

Besides raising awareness, World Vision hopes to spur action. By the end of the two-year tour, the organization hopes to have at least 20,000 children sponsored at a rate of $35 a month.

It also hopes to engage churches and other organizations to do more work locally and in Africa to join the battle against AIDS.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: "World Vision Experience: AIDS - Step Into Africa"

WHERE: Van Dyke United Methodist Church, 17030 Lakeshore Road, Lutz

WHEN: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. today; 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday; 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday

HOW MUCH: Tickets are free and can be obtained at www.world visionexperience.org or by calling (813) 968-3983. Ext. 200. The exhibit takes 30 minutes to complete, and can accommodate about 40 people at one time.

INFORMATION: If you are interested in learning more about the organization or you want to help, go to www.worldvisionexperience .org or call 1-888-511-6548.

Reporter B.C. Manion can be reached at (813) 865-1507 or bmanion@tampatrib.com.

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