Where eldest Daughters thrive
Home Girls Unite (HGU) is a Community Interest Company that works to provides a safe space for eldest daughters and daughter from immigrant homes, both online offline. Home Girls is founded by eldest daughters out of frustration for the lack of support for the unique challenges we face. As eldest daughters ourselves, we understand how this position infiltrates every aspect of our lives and so we are in the best position to understand the support our users need. This is a key strength of our organisation and one we are reminded of when we receive feedback such as ‘I wish I came across HGU sooner’. Such feedback reinforces that we are improving the lives of eldest daughters and making the right impact.
Our Mission
Creating a safe spaces for eldest daughters, to amplify their voices, raise awareness of their lived experiences and empower them to live happier and healthier lives.
Our Values
According to the International Organization for Migration (IMO), when it comes to human trafficking for sexual exploitation, “most of the Nigerian victims are eldest daughters or next eldest daughters in their families (like eastern European victims) typically not only support themselves but also have economic responsibilities for their near relatives” (IMO, 2003).
Home Girls Unite supports eldest and parentified daughters’ transition from merely surviving to thriving by equipping them with practical tools. Our focus is particularly on daughters from immigrant, working-class, and racialised backgrounds. We aim to empower them to set boundaries, communicate their needs confidently, and harness their leadership skills. This includes teaching self-care, advocacy, time management, and providing emotional support and resources that allow them to balance family duties with their aspirations. We aim to help them relieve the burdens of parentification, also known as ‘role reversal’ or ‘adultification’, gendered parenting, and abuse rooted in culture.
Eldest daughters often serve as providers, unpaid caregivers, cultural mediators, and emotional labourers in their families; These roles are frequently shaped by patriarchy, race, culture, class, and being a child of immigrants, which are not often recognised as forms of gendered labour. HGU disrupts these dynamics.
With community building, accessible educational resources, and peer support, we create spaces where eldest daughters can explore their identities, process trauma, and imagine a life defined on their terms. We have created a third space, both online and offline, where eldest daughters can relate, connect, and be part of a collective, thus reducing the loneliness that often comes with the role.
Ultimately, we want them to harness the strengths of being the eldest daughter while mitigating the potential negative impacts. We believe this change is possible through intentional, long-term feminist organising that centre on healing, community, and power redistribution in both the private and public sphere.
The eldest daughter refers to the first-born daughter within the household. However, there are some instances where other birth orders within the family inherit the role. For example, the role may get passed to the middle or youngest daughter due to the following, this definition has been gathered from my experience in the organisation, and through conversations with other daughters who may not fit in the conventional definition of what the eldest daughter should be.
Being the eldest daughter comes with many feelings that we may not necessarily know how to unpack. Sometimes we just need someone to talk to, express ourselves and be heard.
These ranting sessions are a space to speak one-to-one with fellow eldest daughter, free of judgement, express your feelings, get general advice or just a space to talk.
Rant sessions are available on zoom or a phone call. If you are outside the UK, please make sure we can contact us on WhatsApp or Facetime Audio.
