Step into the stories of hardship and hope at the Compassion Experience, an immersive mobile tour, this weekend in Federal Way.

This audio-guided journey takes visitors through various childhood environment replicas of children from the most impoverished places in the world.

From a dirt floor bedroom to the jail cell of a child prisoner, visitors see, feel, and hear the realities of the poverty-stricken countries where society lives on less than $2 a day.

The tour is presented by Compassion International, a humanitarian aid and sponsorship organization that partners with local churches in more than 25 impoverished countries to provide children with spiritual, physical, social and economic development.

It is difficult for people to understand what it means or looks like to live on less than $2 a day, which the Compassion Experience tour provides context to, said Steve Spriggs, community marketing director for Compassion International.

“About six years ago, we thought ‘How do we bring an experience of what life is like for these children to people in the United States?’” Spriggs said, and the idea of the Change Tour was born. The bus tour travels to 150 destinations across the nation.

Visitors are provided a sanitized headset and iPod to listen along to a Compassion child’s story as they walk through scenes of the storyteller’s life.

“These trucks encapsulate the environment of these children … The places they live, the schools they go,” he said. “You learn about the contrast of life, living in poverty compared to living how most do in America,” Spriggs said.

Two lifestyles from Ethiopia and the Dominican Republic will be portrayed in Federal Way this weekend.

This eye-opening tour creates awareness and encourages advocacy, provides a chance to reconnect with one’s inside urge to do something about the issue, and allows families to engage in conversations about poverty and how to help those in need, he said.

This free event is open to the public, family friendly, and wheelchair accessible. Visitors are welcome to visit during any of the open hours, or register for a specific time to ensure your spot.

The Compassion Experience will be at the Christian Faith Center (33645 20th Ave. S.) in Federal Way on Friday, Sept. 28, 4-7:40 p.m.; Saturday, Sept. 29, 1-8:40 p.m.; Sunday, Sept. 30, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Monday, Oct. 1, 11 a.m. to 6:40 p.m. For more information or to reserve your tour time, visit compassion.com/change.