Explore Kenya, Phillippines through The Compassion Experience

Compassion International is bringing The Compassion Experience to Clovis.

The immersive touring exhibit will be at Clovis Hills Community Church Jan. 15-18. Via sight, sound and touch, visitors will be able to explore what life is like for poverty-striken children in developing nations.

The faith-based nonprofit has been “putting Africa in a truck and inviting people in” for about three-and-a-half years, said Compassion International’s Steve Spriggs.

The trucks, outfitted to simulate typical homes, schools and markets found in developing countries, allow visitors to step into the lives of two different children: Kiwi, a young girl from Bacolod City, Philippines, and Jey, whose home is in Nairobi, Kenya. Both Kiwi and Jey are actual young people whose lives were changed by sponsorship from Compassion International, and they cooperated with the nonprofit to ensure accuracy in the telling of their stories.

“Within these rooms we tell the stories of these children and we exhibit things that are in their homes in these countries, things they have actually owned,” Spriggs said. “It’s a very authentic represenation.”

Through advocacy and sponsorships, the faith-based organization strives to connect children in the developing world with those who have the means to help improve their lives.

“As an organization, our primary goal is to advocate for children in poverty,” said Spriggs. “There are significant vulnerabilities these children face and [people] have opportunities to help those children by making them their mission work.”

Though this is primarily through monetary sponsorship, it also includes sharing words of encouragement through letters. Sponsored children are able to attend church-based developmental centers, where they can receive medical care, educational opportunities and vocational training.

“In every community where we stop,” said Spriggs, “people are called to sponsor. There hasn’t been a city yet where somebody hasn’t been motivated to begin a relationship with a child in the developing world. The opportunity these kids have had to be protected from the vulnerabilities of poverty was life-changing for both of them. And Compassion could not do that without sponsorship.”

To learn more about The Compassion Experience and its upcoming stop in Clovis, visit www.cts.compassion.com/events/328.

This story was originally published December 28, 2015 at 4:57 PM with the headline "Explore Kenya, Phillippines through The Compassion Experience."