How tech helps tell the story of refugees

A new immersive exhibit by Doctors Without Borders uses VR and 360 video to give a glimpse into the lives of people forced to flee violence.

When you first enter Doctors Without Borders' "Forced From Home" interactive exhibit, you're assigned a country of origin and a status. I was an internally displaced person from Burundi. But I could've been a refugee or migrant from South Sudan, Syria, Afghanistan or Honduras.

The idea of the exhibit is to put onlookers in the shoes of displaced people who've been forced to flee violence. It's designed to simulate the travels of a refugee and comes with virtual reality films, a 360-degree movie dome and interactive tour.

Doctors Without Borders, an organization that provides medical care and humanitarian aid in more than 70 countries, put together the traveling exhibit to show the 65.6 million people worldwide who are now displaced. When these people leave home, they often face death, sickness, abandonment, persecution and loss of family.

"Our medical staff treat people uprooted by conflict and extreme violence all over the world," said Jason Cone, executive director of Doctors Without Borders USA. "'Forced From Home' is an opportunity to bring our patients' stories to US audiences, to humanize the refugee crisis."

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