Eliza is also a recent member of the SUS INIMA family and became part of the team thanks to the community she belongs to. Until recently she used to live in Bucharest, but she made a major change in her life, she resigned from her theatre job and moved to Sibiu to be with the beautiful people she met there and with whom she shares the same values. Eliza says that “when you meet people like that at work, with the same mindset, the work turns into the willingness to serve, because we remind each other that what we do is for the good of others.”

Eliza is an actress and until 3 months ago she was an employee of the Ion Creanga Theatre in Bucharest. She graduated from UNATC in 2016 and in 2018 took her master’s degree, also in acting. As soon as she finished her degree, she applied for a job at the Ion Creanga Theatre and was hired. “Those were some great years. The performing arts, all the artistic training and the people I worked with, I’m very grateful for it all. It was a time of serving the youngest audience, doing theatre for children. Now it’s time for me to get off the stage for a bit and work with kids directly. It’s a different perspective because when you interact with them you can better see what their needs are. Kids are wonderful. With all the challenges that come along the way, at the end of the day I know that these little brothers and sisters need us and our support, they need us to love them.”

Recently, SUS INIMA has developed this new department that focuses on facilitating workshops on growth through theatre for Ukrainian children, namely susnima.Plays, and Eliza is part of the team. “Most of us are actors and have this experience, with a common language and understanding of what art and theatre can bring to our lives. Ukrainian children benefit weekly of these workshops of growth through acting and, under our guidance, they discover new ways of communication and cooperation, develop empathy, creativity, are encouraged to express themselves freely and non-violently. Our work in susinima.Plays is complex and cannot be summed up in a few words because it operates on many levels. We are aware that it is a long process with a more than beneficial impact for these children.”

The smiles of the children Eliza works with bring her the greatest satisfaction. She finds joy when she enters the workshop room and sees them eagerly waiting, full of enthusiasm to start working together, to be with each other. There are 8-9 year olds who say at the end of the workshop “Thank you! It was really nice today!” Eliza says this makes her believe more and more in the susinima.Plays project and in the power of everyone to change for the better every day.

“For me it’s how I choose to relate to what I do that matters most. As long as I manage to see in every action an opportunity for growth, an opportunity to serve, I am satisfied and that makes me happy. For me, SUS INIMA means transformation. Everything that happens in SUS INIMA impacts me. I am discovering and learning with the children at the same time. It’s an exchange. The other day we met the whole team and prepared something very nice. It’s a musical surprise with some great lyrics. When we recorded it, it was magical. Without much preparation beforehand, we just synced up and it came out really cool. The kind of song that brings people together. There are no boundaries, they’re only in our minds. SUS INIMA reminds me of that.”