My name is Ange, and this is my story.<\/p>\n
The first time I stepped into Africa was in 2004. It was in Kitale, Kenya<\/a>, on a mission trip. I met a young boy named Andrew. He captured my heart and my soul, and I still think about him often.<\/p>\n The first time I “stepped into Africa” was in 2007. It was at my church in southern California. I met a boy named Kombo. He captured my heart and my soul, and I think about him often.<\/p>\n I know both of Andrew’s and Kombo’s stories. I’ve seen where they live. I’ve seen their families. And I feel a strong connection and compassion for both of them.<\/p>\n But what’s the difference between these two children? Andrew has seen my face. Kombo has not.<\/p>\n That’s because I met Kombo at an exhibit — the World Vision Experience: AIDS. It’s a national tour that stops in cities all around the United States, setting up stage mainly in churches and universities. This interactive, walk-through exhibit features stirring audio and captivating photography<\/a> that allows visitors to “step into Africa” and experience the life of a child affected by HIV and AIDS<\/a>.<\/p>\n When the exhibit came to my church in November 2007, I immediately fell in love with the tour and the concept of giving people an opportunity to experience a country they may never see with their own two eyes. The World Vision Experience: AIDS is filled with pictures of children — you see where they sleep, you walk in their shoes, and you experience their life as your own.<\/p>\n Toward the end of your walk through the child’s story, you learn the fate of that one child — whether or not he or she is HIV-positive. It’s in that moment that the AIDS pandemic<\/a> has a face. And for me, that face is Kombo’s.<\/p>\n Some 33 million people are living with HIV right now.<\/p>\n No longer does this statistic seem foreign to me, because I’ve met<\/em> one of those 33 million.<\/p>\n