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Marissa Laurel

Faith Restoration Center Revitalizes Suffering PTSD Veterans

As of June 6, 2013, a newly renowned rehabilitation center for veteran soldiers, Faith

Restoration Center, opened up in Johannesburg, South Africa. The location of this center was

chosen by the company due to the poignant problem of child soldiers all throughout the African

continent. Faith Restoration has employed a team built up of the most educated psychiatrists and

therapists in the world, including England’s Doctor of the Year, Dr. Robert Humphries.

Humphries is well accredited scholar with both a PhD in Psychology and a medical degree from

Oxford University’s prestigious medical school. This center has been a multi-million dollar

program, with state of the art facilities, dormitories and therapeutic programs. FRC’s goal is to

save and restore as many child soldiers’ lives as they can. South African children are at high risk

for being abducted and enlisted into the hostile Lord’s Resistance Army. This facility is funded

and supported by South Africa, the United Nations, and other generous countries willing to help

donate for the greater good of humanity. FRC has only been open for a few short months, but has

already enrolled nearly 760 children in various therapy programs. It has the maximum

occupancy of up to 4000 patients at once. Children have first priority for checking into the

center, and the process is as simple as the company can make it. Faith Restorations pairs up with

missionary programs that might find abandoned children to bring into shelter. All of the

programs are centralized around the method of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, because research

shows that this is the most effective method for treating psychological disorders like Post-

Traumatic Stress. As a component of the program, patients are given the chance to also

participate in fun workshops, various art projects like painting, and stress-relieving exercise
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classes. FRC strives to create a caring, and non-triggering environment for these emotionally

drained soldiers. Also, FRC pairs up with many social workers that can evaluate whether or not

to send the children back into the orphanages or find them adoptions. FRC does not want the

children to regress back into his or her own PTSD habits; therefore the hospital also focuses on

of what is next for the children’s future. The children that have been admitted so far have

experienced dramatic results according to many of the doctors. However, the goal is to foster

continuous progression amongst the patients.

Specifically, Ekene Butu, a former soldier for the LRA, was one of the first patients

admitted into the brand new hospital. He was interviewed, and was willing to release information

on his experience at Faith Restoration.

Waking up, having breakfast with Dr. Humphrey, and drinking tea on the back porch was

a daily way that Ekene had begun his mornings for the past nine months. Ekene enjoyed the

silent mornings accompanied by his doctor; as they both valued the idea of having a personal and

reflective start to the day. Watching the sunshine through the industrial white blinds reassured

Ekene where he was, and relieved him of the thought of where he was not. A typical day for this

young boy would involve a session with his favorite therapist, Monica, followed by a formal

meeting with Dr. Humphries to evaluate his medicines, then free time on the quad. Therapy

sessions with Monica were the most brutal part of the day for Ekene. Monica encouraged

releasing underlying struggles that Ekene hid under his façade. A part of therapy for Post-

Traumatic stress is to address the triggering fears that one might have, in order to eventually

reach a sense of rationalization of that fear. Ekene spoke about one triggering fear he had, which

was riding in truck beds. While Ekene was a soldier for the LRA, he witnessed his best friend be
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pushed out of a truck bed at a speed of 55 mph, in which the child was killed on impact. Ekene

was the one to try and resuscitate his friend, until he realized that there was no chance. This was

only one of the many traumatizing moments Ekene experienced in the three years he was a

soldier for the LRA. Ekene was taken from his village, by the LRA, at the young age of 8 years

old. The process that Ekene was coerced into to become a soldier was traumatizing alone. He

was asked to do many terrible things to other child soldiers, innocent victims, and the enemy.

The amount of time he spent as a child soldier was about five months. On a rainy day just after a

major war operation, a missionary, found Ekene lying on the side of the road in a trench. Ekene

had been residing in that position for almost three full days. When he first began treatment he

would not even speak about the events he experienced or things he was forced to do. He claimed

that he was numb to the world, and his mind was no longer in sync with his body. He distanced

himself from reality because the world he experienced was so mentally decapitating. Since

Ekene had been in the recovery program, he found a love for sculpting pottery and figurines.

Ekene said that he used his sculpting to “bring light to the forsaken past, in hopes of

understanding, and a brighter future.” After speaking to Ekene, Monica and Dr. Humphries

concluded that he had made a substantial amount of progress since beginning the treatment plan

nine months ago. Ekene still struggled with effectively communicating what he wanted, and his

feelings, because he was forced to suppress both for so long. However, after almost a year in the

facility, Ekene began locating a new adoptive family with a social worker. He did not wish to

return to his home village because of the corruption, and risk of being forced back into the army.

With a great deal of support and medical help, Ekene’s PTSD was sufficiently treated and

he was released from Faith Restoration almost a year after he was admitted. Ekene is not the only
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child soldier with a success story. Faith Restoration Center is now home to many broken post-

war soldiers in true hopes of being renewed back into having a normal life. Ekene is just one of

the many patients that can prove that this rehabilitation center is effective for the treatment of

PTSD.