Lil Wright (Fuller) was a missionary, nurse, and development worker, who worked closely with the poor in Africa, and passionately desired to spend her life serving the women and children.

Unfortunately, she died of breast cancer while in her prime, but left family and friendswith a legacy of commitment to the rights of the poor and oppressed.

Sauti Moja honours her and others of similar compassion.

 

 

 

Lil found great fulfillment caring for the children in a remote village in Zaire.  The first day the family arrived in Kankinda, a mother, afraid that her child would soon die, arrived at the door with her lethargic, skinny child with a swollen stomach, moon-shaped face, and stringy reddish hair – all symptoms of kwashiorkor (severe protein malnutrition).  Lil, a nurse, could see that this child was in urgent need of help, but she was miles from a clinic and had no supplies.  In desperation, she prayed with the mother for the child.  Then, she immediately prepared a nutritious meal from local food stuffs, fed the child, and insisted that the woman bring her child back for food, several times every day.  It was to her great relief that the child grew stronger, and her credibility in the village grew!

As Lil toured within the village, she became acutely aware of the high prevalence of kwashiokor, so within a few weeks, she set up a nutrition center.  Mothers with malnourished children prepared nutritious meals, three times a day for a month, under the supervision of Lil and a local lady.  During the program, mothers were also taught about good child care, including prevention and treatment of diarrhea.  By the end of one month, if a child had not demonstrated adequate growth and was not playing energetically, rehabilitation continued.  (At the same time, Tim provided seed to these families and promoted production of pulse crops, such as soybean and cowpea, which are high in protein.)  It was a rewarding time for Lil; her first patient lived, and the nutritional status of the village children visibly increased.

Corey, who is currently Africa Program Manager for Sauti Moja, is sitting on the floor. Tim and Lil's other children, Alex, Cheri, and Chuck, share their mother’s heart of compassion for the oppressed and, through their work, demonstrate deep commitment to social justice in Canada and internationally and pay tribute to her:

"Here is the deepest secret nobody knows (here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud and the sky of the sky of a tree called life, which grows higher than soul can hope or mind can hide) and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart. I carry your heart (I carry it in my heart)." e.e. cummings