Dear MIMster: This is a sad story about my aunt’s daughter who longs for her dad

My aunt’s daughter lives with my family, although we are not related by blood but my aunt is more than a blood relative to us.

This little girl will be 9 years old in November and I am so worried about her. She has a high degree of low self esteem. She literarily walk around with her head bowed, always looking so depressed, ashen faced and so sad.

I called her yesterday to talk to her and she told me she really misses her father. Her father is another story altogether. He is a highly placed man in the society who has other children from his other wives. This innocent little girl was conceived when her dad was in a relationship with her mum. Her father doesn’t care about her. Sometimes, he pays her school fees and somtimes he doesn’t.

Anytime my aunt tries to contact him on phone, he doesn’t pick her call. He just doesn’t care about this girl, but this girl cries, pines and longs for her father. She thinks other little girls who have fathers are better than her that’s why she is so sad and doesn’t believe in herself. She thinks she must be a terrible girl for her father to have refused to associate with her.

Please, what can I do to help this little girl as her mother is really trying for her.