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ATTLEBORO -- Many associate the AIDS epidemic with Africa. Now, residents of this area will be able to step into the shoes of those affected by the deadly virus on that continent.

The exhibit, "Step into Africa: The AIDS Crisis: Can You Survive the Journey of a Child?" will be on display at the Attleboro YMCA Sunday through June 21 to show the public the impact of AIDS through a visual and audio tour.

This is not a typical walk-through exhibit, though. The display immerses the public into the lives of three children suffering from AIDS, putting the participants in the shoes of African children who experience a world far from those who live in this country.

The Rev. Dennis Baril of Community Covenant Church in Rehoboth worked to get the exhibit displayed locally. During the process, he teamed up with Faith Alliance's Rev. Don Wiegand and the spiritual leader of Good News Bible Chapel, Steve DuPlessie.

Baril said that each church gave $5,000 to help bring "Step into Africa" to Attleboro. "This (exhibit) is unique because, as a church, our goal is to teach us to love our neighbor as ourselves," he said. "We can't look at a problem in another part of the world and say it's not ours."

World Vision, a Christian humanitarian organization, often refers to the exhibit as "the Experience" and helps churches across the country bring it to the public. The current version, which began touring in August 2007, was made by World Vision with the help of a Seattle-based production company and recording studio.

Millie Smith, the tour communications manager, called the exhibit a "multisensory approach," with visuals and even smells of artifacts from Africa.

"It's a way that engages someone's heart as well as their head," she said.

Smith, who had taken personal trips to Africa before joining World Vision, said that "Step into Africa" is a great way to give the public an opportunity to sponsor a child, increase awareness of AIDS, and "utilize the power of a story."

The exhibit is very realistic, like being in an African village, DuPlessie said.

"It's a combination of incredibly gripping personal stories of young people in Africa and the impact AIDS has on their lives," he said. "The exhibit itself is very engaging - you'd think you're immersed in Africa."

DuPlessie emphasized the exhibit is important on several levels: providing awareness of the AIDS pandemic, giving the opportunity to care for a suffering child and providing a chance to set up a second opportunity to help in coming months.

"We're hoping to lay groundwork for a second effort in the fall," he said. "We would provide caregiver kits, which equip a local person with tools to help those with HIV/AIDS, and assist with simple interventions."

Wiegand said the exhibit "gives all of us an opportunity to see how fortunate we are, and how unfortunate others are. I think for us here in America, it can be very eye-opening and very emotional." According to World Vision's Web site, "more than 22.5 million people in sub-Saharan Africa are living with HIV. More than 60 percent are women. Two million are younger than 15. And there are more than 11 million children in Africa who have lost one or both parents because of AIDS."

Smith said that sponsoring a child is a way for parents to educate their children on global communities and helping others.

The Web site recommends that children under 13 not enter the 30-minute exhibit because of graphic depictions, but Wiegand said that an optional script is available for adults to read to children if necessary.

Baril called AIDS the leprosy of the day, and that "Step into Africa" was a way to make the situation real to the public.

"This is so important. You've got to come because we need this experience," Baril said. "We travel to Orlando or Disney to be impacted, but this is important to have an experience that educates and changes our lives."