Eliska connects fellow citizens: ‘I believe that we can get along well with each other’

Eliska Preussová (48) has been living in Zoetermeer for 22 years. She moved from Prague at the time for love. And that love turned out to be a fertile basis for all kinds of wonderful initiatives in our city and far beyond.

She speaks five languages, doesn’t shy away from her bread and is committed worldwide and voluntarily to young and old. So it’s high time to share her story.

Practical girl

It was the summer of 2000 when Eliska came to the Netherlands for work. There she met her husband, for whom she moved to Zoetermeer three years later. With all her possessions, she moved into an apartment in the well-known ‘monkey rock’. And while her Leiden husband actually wanted to return to his hometown, Eliska thought very differently about it.

“Leiden, like Prague, is a historic city, so it felt more like home to me. But I am a practical girl and I love skiing. So yes, SnowWorld just had a huge appeal to me,” she says with a smile.

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‘A woman is not a threat’

“I love people. I always try to see the positive and discover what drives someone,” says Eliska. She has been committed to equality and connection for decades. She worked for fifteen years in the technical sector at a Saudi oil company. “There I showed men that a woman is not a threat, but a buddy, a different perspective,” she says. She still voluntarily coaches young professionals in Saudi Arabia, with special attention to the position of women. “Because to improve the position of women, you also need men,” she explains.

To improve the position of women, you also need men,

International and local

Eliska is also committed to connection and equality close to home. And to really mean something, she notices, is one thing community indispensable. She says: “I am not naturally someone who immediately seeks out a group of like-minded people. But I do notice that you need that, especially in the different phases of your life.”

That is why she joined the Soroptimists in Zoetermeer. This year she was appointed president. The Soroptimists are committed to the position and rights of women and girls locally and worldwide. “In Zoetermeer I am involved in, among other things, the Orange the World campaign, which aims to combat violence against women,” she explains.

Stichting Sportief Wandelgroep Zoetermeer

Another community that Eliska has been committed to for ten years is the Stichting Sportief Wandelgroep Zoetermeer. There she trains local walkers, completely voluntarily. The groups vary in size: usually about fifteen people participate, but on Wednesday morning it is a different story. Then the so-called pensionado group comes together, with up to forty walkers. “Many people don’t even know it, but you can recognize us by the green T-shirts,” says Eliska with a laugh. And there is another advantage: “My Dutch has also improved as a result.”

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Connection

From Prague to Saudi Arabia and now Zoetermeer: ​​everywhere Eliska goes, she connects. “What I fear is individualism,” she emphasizes. “I am an optimist and believe that basically as people we can get along well with each other and want to build something together, instead of tearing each other down.”

Who is the next Zoetermeer of the week?

Do you also have a special story? Or do you know a Zoetermeer resident who we really should interview? Let us know via [email protected].