World Vision Launches Interactive Aids Exhibition in Australia

World Vision has launched an interactive walk-through exhibition in Australia, which gives visitors the chance to experience life through the eyes of impoverished African children who have been affected by Aids.

Visitors at "One Life Experience" are asked to imagine themselves in Africa, an experience that is far removed from the lives of many Australians, and which the exhibitors say is "full but also heartbreakingly difficult".

The audio tour, which visitors listen to through individual music players, includes the voice of a narrator and sound effects to help them visualise themselves as one of three children.

The tour prompts visitors to stop at information displays that explain the wider impact of poverty and disease in Africa.

"I guess you see it on TV all the time but when you actually imagine it happening to you it's different," said Christian Charalambous, a volunteer worker at the exhibition.

World Vision America introduced the original concept for the exhibition, and the photographs and props used in it travelled to Australia after spending one year in New Zealand.

"I've been astounded with the response - it's been really really positive," World Vision Australia's national events coordinator, Eva Daly, told Reuters.

"I think it's because it's the first time anything like this has been done in Australia and we've literally brought Africa to the middle of Sydney," Daly said.

Although the exhibition relies heavily on word-of-mouth advertising, with emails being sent to Australian donors, it has so far averaged 150 visitors a day.

"There's so many massive statistics like a child dies every three seconds as a result of poverty, 30,000 children die every day and it kind of has got to a point where it's almost like water off a ducks' back," said Daly.

"So to be able to put an individual face on the issues that these kids are facing in these countries is really important and it seems to be having a really big impact," she said.

The exhibition will stay in Sydney until this Wednesday before moving to Australia's second biggest city, Melbourne.