STIGMA Incorporated is a 501(c)(3) approved non-profit based in South Carolina dedicated to​ helping fatherless daughters everywhere reclaim their proper status in the world. 
*All donations are tax deductible.*

​MISSION & VISION


​Out of 24 million children, 1 in 3, are growing up without their biological father.

That’s enough children to populate New York City three times!
STIGMA Inc's mission is to educate, advocate, and empower young girls to overcome the stigma of growing up fatherless through a comprehensive program that builds self-sufficient women of integrity, resilience, and leadership.   

STIGMA's vision is to diminish the stigma of fatherless daughters, build a community of support and acceptance, and create self-reliant women.  

WHAT IS A FATHERLESS DAUGHTER?

A fatherless daughter is a girl whose father is absent, unattached, or unavailable.


One may be fatherless if they lost their dad to:
​
–Death
–Divorce
–Abandonment
–Incarceration
–Deployment
–Addiction
–Terminal Illness
–Abuse
–Geography
–Emotional Absence

THE PROBLEM

THE EFFECTS OF FATHERLESSNESS

Fatherlessness is linked to:
  • ​63 percent of youth suicides
  • 71 percent of pregnant teenagers
  • 85 percent of all youth who exhibit behavior disorder
  • 71 percent of all high school dropouts
  • 75 percent of all adolescents in chemical abuse centers
  • And 85 percent of all youths sitting in prison

THE APPROACH

STIGMA will combat the fatherless statistics by shaping each participant holistically and promoting five key areas: (1) Academics; (2) Civic Engagement; (3) Career Development; (4) Health & Wellness; and (5) Interpersonal Skills.

THE SOLUTION: STIGMA

​Community youth development programs, such as STIGMA, provide a safe and secure environment that promotes self-development through constructive, affirmative, and empowering relationships with adults and peers over prolonged periods of time (Villarruel, Perkins, Borden, & Keith, 2003).  The encouraging environment of STIGMA will shift the focus off problems and onto the possibilities of our fatherless daughters.  STIGMA's programs will ignite conversations with youth, families, and communities about fatherless daughters while promoting resiliency.
One of STIGMA’s goals is to diminish the stigma of fatherless daughters by building a community of support (e.g. family, peers, mentors, and community members).  The comprehensive process of STIGMA involves building a support system that does not discriminate or ostracize. Instead  we accept, embrace, rally, and support our girls, just as we would for someone who is fighting a physical illness such as cancer. By doing so, STIGMA’s mission to create self-reliant women is accomplished.