THE Daughter-Daddy Project is operated by Esther Production, Inc. a nonprofit– 501 ( c ) 3–tax-exempt organization, based in Washington, D.C. The charitable, educational, cultural and social-service organization was launched in 2004 by a group of civic-minded professionals. It is dedicated to using a variety of vehicles -traditional and nontraditional- to aid in the development of young people and to enhance the quality of life for poor and under-served communities.

The Daughter-Daddy Project focuses on assisting girls and women who are dealing with the devastating consequences of father absence. Further, it also is designed to aid in the reconciliation of daughters and dads who have been separated for whatever reasons.

More than 20 million daughters are growing up today in the United States of America without the presence of their biological fathers. The voices of these girls and women are muted; their needs are unmet. Often when addressing the problem of father absence, the emphasis is on father-son relationships. Daughters and daddies receive scant attention. And yet, indisputable evidence indicates that fathers are critical to daughters developing into whole healthy women.

Father absence produces negative behaviors such as those identified in the groundbreaking book Whatever Happened to Daddy’s Little Girl? The Impact of Fatherlessness on Black Women. A demonstrated lack of self-worth, early sexual promiscuity, fear of abandonment and commitment, substance abuse and/or eating disorders, depression and toxic rage frequently can be traced to fatherlessness. These are played out as early as 13 years old, continuing well into adulthood. (LISTEN TO EXCERPTS OF THE FATHERLESS DAUGHTER DIARIES).

Since a father is critical to a daughter developing into a healthy confident woman capable of creating and maintaining lasting relationships, particularly with men, it is safe to assert that father absence adversely affects the quantity and quality of marriages among fatherless women. If one believes that women set the standard for society, the social psychological, emotional, physical and economic health of women becomes of utmost importance.

LINKS:

• Dr. Linda Nielsen, author, Between Fathers & Daughters: Enriching & Rebuilding Your Adult Relationship — http://www.wfu.edu/~nielsen/
• Black Men Raising Girls Alone: http://www.bmrga.com/
• The National Fatherhood Initiative– http://www.fatherhood.org