Ginna Pacanchique: "My migration journey isn't a weakness — it's my greatest strength"
As part of our campaign for Frauenalia's 10th anniversary, "10 Frauen, 10 Stimmen," we're sharing the story of Ginna Alexandra Pacanchique Quintero. A Colombian woman who came to Germany as an au pair, following a dream shared across generations of her family — and who, after nearly ten years in the country, has learned to see her migration journey not as a burden, but as her greatest source of strength.
A dream that began with her grandparents
Ginna was born in Bogotá and has lived in Germany for almost ten years. She grew up in a middle-class family where nothing essential was ever missing, but travel long remained just a distant wish. The real push came from her grandparents: her grandfather dreamed that one of his children would live in Europe, and her grandmother wanted a different life for her granddaughters.
"I'll never forget the day she told me she didn't want her grandchildren to go through the same hardships she had," Ginna recalls.
She'd known about the au pair program since school, and was surprised by how accessible the path turned out to be: with an A1 German certificate, she was able to sign a contract with a German family. After just one month, she already knew she wanted to stay.
Versatility as a way of life
Ginna has been working since she was 15 and describes herself as highly versatile. In Colombia, she studied Tourism while working as a saleswoman, waitress, cashier, and operator at Monserrate. That versatility continued in Germany: as an au pair, during a volunteer year in childcare, in apartment cleaning, as a dog sitter, helping out at a hair salon — she even sold arepas and empanadas in Frankfurt. Later she worked as an event coordinator, as ground staff at the airport, and eventually, after a career change, as an early-childhood educator.
The hardest part: watching loved ones' lives go on without her
For Ginna, the distance from her family remains the hardest part — not just her own absence, but watching how life for the people she loves goes on without her. She couldn't travel to Colombia for her first five years in Germany; when she finally did, the brother she'd left as a teenager was already a grown man.
"I felt like I'd missed his entire youth," she says.
Last year her mother had a heart attack, and since then she carries the thought that their time together may be shorter than she'd like.
Overcoming her toughest test
Ginna's hardest period came during the final exams of her hospitality training, shortly after the pandemic: living alone, she went through a depressive episode. She failed her written exam despite already having a job contract lined up. She sought professional help, and her brother came from Colombia to stay with her for three months. Six months later, she passed the exam, ran a half marathon, and found a new job in Frankfurt am Main.
"That period taught me how important it is to have not just family, but a support network that carries you," she reflects.
She'll be forever grateful to the friends who became her family along the way.
Advice for women dreaming of emigrating
"Enjoy the process, however difficult it may sometimes seem. Come with an open heart and an open mind, and don't believe the clichés about German culture — make your own experience," Ginna says. She adds: "Germany isn't for everyone — it's for those who truly want it."
Frauenalia: feeling heard for the first time
Ginna first heard about Frauenalia through an entrepreneur friend who's part of the Frauenalia HUB, and signed up for the informational workshop in June 2026. The one-on-one coaching and the job-interview preparation workshop with Francisca were especially meaningful for her.
She'd arrived in Berlin at the end of 2025 to build a new future, but after a bad work experience, she felt lost and alone. The coaching gave her new professional direction and information about state-funded further education. On a personal level, she remembers vividly the moment Francisca helped her see her migration journey as a valuable, positive asset — not a weakness.
To any woman considering joining, Ginna would say: "You're in the right place, with the right professionals by your side." For her, it was also a safe space where language was never a barrier: "It's a program by women, for migrant women, and you can feel that in every conversation."
As she puts it herself: "Frauenalia helped me see my journey as a migrant not as a weakness, but as my greatest strength."
Ginna Alexandra Pacanchique Quintero's story is part of "10 Frauen, 10 Stimmen," Frauenalia's campaign for its 10th anniversary: ten women, ten stories, and many ways of building a new path in Germany.
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