Meet the New Board of Janainas e.V.

Talita Lincoln continues in her post, now alongside Valquiria Ferreira and Julia Lima

by Adriana Meyge

Janainas e.V., an association dedicated to creating spaces for exchange, support, and development for immigrant women* in Berlin, celebrates the renewal of its board for the next three-year term.

The board of Janainas e.V. (left to right): Julia Lima, Talita Lincoln, and Valquiria Ferreira

We are thrilled to welcome Julia Lima and Valquiria Ferreira to the board, further strengthening our mission. Co-founder Talita Lincoln remains in her position, adding her experience to the energy of the new members.

An educator in Berlin, “almost psychologist” by training in Brazil and queer immigrant woman, Talita believes in the power of community to transform challenges into strengths and to create fairer, more compassionate, and prosperous paths for everyone.

Julia is a researcher, writer, and educator with a degree in Literature from University of Sao Paulo (USP), and a master’s student at the Free University of Berlin (FU), focusing on queer, gender, and migration studies. She facilitates our Sprachcafé, bringing women together to practice German in a welcoming environment.

Valquiria, known as Val, is a “born-and-raised Pernambucan [from the Brazilian state of Pernambuco] who loves people”, mother to Elis, and executive secretary with a degree from Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE). She has volunteered and worked as a project assistant at Janainas.

The new board will initially focus on strengthening the Janainas community and its sustainability. Key challenges include project funding, the bureaucracy involved in running a registered Verein, and fair distribution of volunteer work. At the same time, they remain attentive to structural changes they wish to contribute to society. In their own words, the board members have shared their paths and visions for Janainas:

My Story with Janainas

TL: My story with Janainas began in 2018, when we were still a collective and I participated in the launch picnic, selling sandwiches and meals I used to prepare as I started my life in Germany. At this moving event, I was invited to join the collective and, together with other women*, helped found the NGO in 2019. We wrote the statute and shaped what Janainas is today.

Since then, I have been active as a volunteer, offering workshops, talks, and contributing to methods and processes. In 2022, I also joined the board, proud of this collective journey.

JL: I was introduced to "Janas", which was still forming, in the summer of 2019 by Talita (Lincoln). I immediately identified with its values and goals and started attending every event I could. That encounter was very special for me, happening at a time when, without realizing it, I needed support and community—which I found and continue to find here. In 2021, I became a volunteer, mainly contributing with text writing.

In 2023, I was invited by Evelyne (Leandro, co-founder) to design and coordinate projects focused on language development, and since then, I organize the Sprachcafé Frauen im Gespräch, a safe space for Brazilian women* to practice German. In June 2025, I was elected to the board, a role I take on with great joy and many ideas to continue contributing to our mission.

VF: My story began in 2020, when I volunteered for the Apoio Social project alongside Te (Teresa Bueno). I was responsible for documenting consultations, which opened my eyes to the realities of migration. I encountered many strong stories that enriched me as a person. Shortly after, I was invited to work at another institution, but I never stopped volunteering for Janainas and participated whenever possible.

One Saturday, Evelyne invited me to be a project assistant for FiM-Frauenpower in Mitte. I accepted immediately without knowing exactly what the work or compensation would be—I just said “yes.” It was a transformative experience lasting over two years, giving me confidence to take on new challenges. Today, I am no longer an employee but continue as a volunteer because I believe in the transformative power of women* supporting women* through bonds of care and affection. This is the path.

What I Bring to Janainas

TL: I bring my experience as a Janaina from the beginning—learning to see myself reflected in other women*, recognizing and strengthening my own strengths. This has made me a more confident woman, secure in my space.

I also bring my experience as an educator, immigrant, and queer woman in Berlin, as well as my psychology perspective, which helps me mediate conflicts and create spaces of listening and care. All this adds to my practice within Janainas, always aiming to strengthen the community.

JL: I believe I have active and empathetic listening skills and the ability to find solutions even for the most difficult problems, which allows me to work collaboratively, creatively, and organized. My experience as a researcher also enables me to navigate academic/scientific concepts and ideas (always critically, with intersectional and decolonial approaches!) and integrate them into the knowledge and methodologies that guide us.

VF: After my experiences as a volunteer and employee, I believe I can contribute across the different areas Janainas works in. My experiences, which were so enriching for me, together with my board colleagues and the women* in our network, can help create new opportunities for the NGO.

Dreams for the Future

TL: From the beginning, we dreamed that Janainas could become an educational institute, with spaces like a “Kita Janainas” or a community center capable of supporting Brazilian women* and their families in Berlin. This dream remains strong because we believe Janainas is our way of creating alternatives to patriarchy and building more sensitive, prosperous, and fair ways of existing for everyone. It’s a big dream, but sometimes it’s good to dream big!

JL:  I dream big: of an end to patriarchy, capitalism, and the deeply racist, binary, and colonial structures around us. I see the Janainas community, with its collaborators, volunteers, and participants, as having enormous potential to contribute to this struggle. Our work in the coming years will focus on organizing our desires (and our anger!), multiplying resources, and spreading knowledge, so all women* can access tools that allow them to live freer, more prosperous, and happier lives.

VF: I hope we have a permanent home, that all projects—which are so important in the lives of many women*—are funded, and that we can continue making a difference in so many lives.

Challenges and Paths

TL: Among the biggest challenges are bureaucracy, securing funding, and balancing volunteer work with self-care. We want to strengthen Janainas without exploiting the time or energy of the people who build this space. Our priority is to restructure the “house,” ensuring we continue supporting the community responsibly, with self-care and balance. This way, the care we advocate for also becomes a practice within the NGO itself.

JL: I believe overcoming the challenges we face as immigrant women* is only possible collectively. One priority for this new board constellation is to promote more gatherings, exchanges, reflections, and safe spaces for listening, support, and development, always in a structured, responsible, and loving way.

VF: Today, I believe professional integration remains a significant challenge for immigrant women* in Germany. Gaining the skills to work in a new language will always be demanding, but Janainas’ mission is to help women* find training paths, value their professional experience, and strengthen self-knowledge, thereby boosting their confidence.