Immersive poverty experience to be hosted in Dartford for the first time

by | Sep 14, 2018 | Dartford Charities, Dartford News

The Net Church in Dartford will host the Compassion Experience from 28–30 September, giving visitors a unique opportunity to find out what life is like for some of the most vulnerable children in the world.

The Compassion ExperienceThe Compassion Experience is a mobile trailer space created by child development charity Compassion UK which allows people to experience the sights, sounds and smells of a developing country.

The trailer houses the interactive, tactile, audio and visual stories of Sameson, a boy from Ethiopia, and Shamim, a girl from Uganda. Both Sameson and Shamim grew up experiencing the vulnerability, restrictions, and dangers that poverty brings in their respective cultures and contexts.

The Compassion Experience will be at The Leigh Academy on Green Street in Dartford on:

  • Friday 28 September 2018 7:30pm – 9:00pm
  • Saturday 29 September 2018 11:00am – 3:00pm
  • Sunday 30 September 2018 12:00pm – 3:00pm

The event is completely free, and open to members of the public. Booking is not compulsory, but if preferred, advance bookings can be made at: https://experience.compassionuk.org/experiences/location/25/

The Compassion ExperienceAndrew Jackson, Youth Pastor of Net Church, Dartford comments: “We are both excited and privileged to be hosting the Compassion Experience at Net Church Dartford. We are particularly looking forward to providing an opportunity for our local community to engage with this unique presentation of the bigger picture of poverty, provoking them to action. The potential ripple effect of the Compassion Experience will be a game-changer for many years to come. Having seen first-hand the amazing impact Compassion has around the world, this is a not-to-be missed experience!”

Compassion is an international child development charity with more than 60 years’ experience of working with some of the world’s poorest children. At present nearly 2 million children attend Compassion’s church-based projects in 25 of the world’s poorest countries.

Justin Dowds, CEO of Compassion UK says, “We brought the Compassion Experience to the UK to bring the developing world to our doorsteps. When people think of poverty, they often think of the lack of material things, but actually, poverty is the lack of freedom to make meaningful choices. Poverty narrows children’s horizons and undermines their ambitions. Through our holistic child development programme, Compassion stirs hope in children. You can witness that hope coming to life through the Compassion Experience.”

“The Compassion Experience enables visitors to experience another world without leaving their own,” explains Compassion UK’s Caroline Cameron. “Most importantly the presentation offers a message of hope for children sponsored through our world-class child development programme.”

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