The Heart Behind LemonAid Fund: Dr. Nancy Peddle’s Journey
In the aftermath of war, with dust swirling in the air and silence heavy over destroyed homes, Dr. Nancy Peddle saw something extraordinary: resilience.
It was 1999 in Sierra Leone. The civil war had left deep scars. Children wandered barefoot through rubble. Women carried grief too deep for words. Men tried to coax crops from parched earth, holding on to hope with calloused hands.
Amid this, Nancy didn’t turn away. She didn’t rush in with assumptions or answers. Instead, she did something simple, powerful, and rare: she sat with survivors under trees, listening, holding space, and asking,
“What can I do?”
This wasn’t her first encounter with trauma. With a Master’s in Education, a Ph.D. in Human and Organizational Systems, and years of experience leading programs in conflict zones and disaster-stricken areas, Nancy had already worked in places like Aceh, Indonesia, Albania, and Nepal. She had served with UN agencies and international NGOs. She had seen pain before.
But Sierra Leone was different. Here, amidst profound loss, she saw not just suffering—but a spark. A quiet but fierce will to rebuild, to forgive, to move forward.
And she decided to fan that spark into a flame.
That flame would become LemonAID Fund, a nonprofit organization rooted in the belief that even in the darkest moments, transformation is possible, when we choose to listen, to care, and to act.
Now, 25 years later, LemonAID Fund continues to embody this ethos. What began with one woman listening under a tree has grown into a global movement of healing, education, and empowerment.
🍋 14 schools built in partnership with local communities
📚 28,000 lbs of books delivered to support learning and literacy
🌱 200,000 lives touched through the Forgiveness, Gratitude, and Appreciation (FGA) program, a concrete tool for emotional healing, resilience, and peace-building
Dr. Nancy’s career has spanned continents and institutions, from lecturing at Northwestern University to mentoring Ph.D. students at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. But through it all, her heart remains in the field.
Kneeling in the dirt. Holding the hand of a survivor. Sharing stories. Spreading Forgiveness, Gratitude, and Appreciation.
“Healing isn’t something you do for people. It’s something you do with them.” – Dr. Nancy Peddle
As LemonAid Fund marks 25 years of service, we invite you to join us in continuing this work through our new initiative: Vision One Million, a goal to reach one million people with the transformative power of FGA.
Join the movement.
Spread the word.
Support healing where it’s needed most.
Let this be the beginning of another 25 years of transformation. One lemon at a time.