Mioria Sateanu is a woman with an unusual energy for her almost 90 years, with a lively gait, a sharp look, a warm word, who for over 30 years has been involved in hundreds of civic and social projects, defending women's rights, promoting education, family, cultural and spiritual values.

Although she is old, Mrs Sateanu, founder and former president of the Women's Union of Bihor, still participates, at the age of 88, in civic activities.

'It's not a secret of the energy I have. I really like what I do and I'm glad that I manage to dedicate myself to my activities that are supported by my collaborators. I can't do anything alone. They appreciate my dedication in carrying out projects and occasional activities, and in the end the satisfaction read in the eyes and attitude of those who benefit from projects and the joy of colleagues who feel useful and appreciated for their involvement motivate me to move forward,' Sateanu told AGERPRES.

Born in Oradea in 1936, she got a traditional education background and, as a child, she became fond of fencing. She even participated in the 1960 Rome Olympics, in the Romanian fencing team, which won the third place in foil.

'I liked this sport especially because, in the same second, your thought had to be correlated with the movement of your arm and the lunging steps of the legs to achieve the touche. From fencing training, I learned combativeness and perseverance to implement my projects. In particular, we have retained that the one who is better, more efficient, more involved in the activities of the community must be respected, but also that he or she can be surpassed by dedication in the spirit of the community.'

In 1954 she graduated from the Sanitary High School in Oradea. She would have liked to continue her studies as a doctor, a profession to which she felt very attracted, but, at first, she could not enrol in college, her father being a political prisoner for a while, during the communist regime, because of his liberal convictions. In 1958 she finally managed to enrol, but not in Medicine, as she would have liked, just in Land Improvements, at the University of Craiova.

After graduating, Sateanu worked in Targu Jiu. 'I dealt with the Gorj County plan of investments in agriculture, all kinds of activities related to the regularisation of rivers and lands, dams, irrigation canals, pumping stations, hill terraces. I worked at the Enterprise for the Execution and Exploitation of Land Improvement Works in Tg Jiu, being the head of the Education Staff Remuneration Plan Service. I got married during college to a classmate of mine, a footballer in the national team. That's where my daughter was born,' she recalls.

Time passed unnoticed and, after 30 years, she retired, then returned to Oradea.

After retirement, by chance, Mrs Sateanu found her way, the mission from which life had diverted her in her youth. She found out about the intention of the Bihor County Public Health Directorate to make a record of the elderly, lonely and sick people. It was then that her desire to help people, her first profession, in a field similar to medicine, was triggered.

'The job best suited to my soul was the one by which I stayed at the bedside of the sick and alleviated their sufferings and troubles. Every person somehow returns to their first love - people was mine with all their social and health problems. (...) That is the reason why today, as always, I am close to those whose soul calls out to be helped, in whose heart regret has nestled, in whose conscience the hope of being fair, honest, kind and respectful has blossomed. From the words of the Lord 'Love thy neighbour as thyself' my whole life starts.'

As her former classmates from the Sanitary High School in Oradea were also retired, after a few meetings, they formed a working group with which they started a project to identify elderly people in need. That is how the Women's Union of Bihor Oradea was born in 1993.

Between 1993 and 2014, the Bihor Women's Union of Oradea, under the presidency of Mioria Sateanu, carried out projects financed from its own funds, from sponsorships and from non-reimbursable funds requested from various funders.

Thus, she initiated and ran the 'Ceata lui Pitigoi' camps, during the summer holidays for students from Oradea, camps by the sea for children from poor families, the 'I want to know' project that challenged high school students to debate ideas from history, philology, astronomy, caving, music, visual arts and citizenship education, or 'The Bridge of Intercultural Friendship,' a project with monthly activities dedicated to adults, but also campaigns to combat violence against women.

'We implemented these projects because we became aware of the fact that all activities are necessary for education, culture, communication and socialisation. It is a path that we must travel because it contributes to the personal development of each one, to inter-relationships, to the knowledge and appreciation of the members of the community,' says Mrs Sateanu.

In 2014, at the age of 78, she resigned for health reasons, believing that she needed a break, but, after less than a year, she continued to carry out annually coordinated projects in her capacity as honorary citizen of the city of Oradea. She names just a few, such as the 'Discover yourself' summer camps, creative workshops and sports competitions, exhibitions of drawings and collages for International Women's Day, Union Day, etc.

Over the years, she has had the opportunity to collaborate with women from various professional areas.

'I objectively studied the evolution of the woman who, from a housewife, evolved and gave herself to professional training according to personal skills, but also according to the requirements of the workforce. In fact, communism taught us a very good thing: that women can practice any profession just as well, with great success, even if it is, let's say, intended for men. The woman - as mother, wife, grandmother, has her irreplaceable role. She is the soul of the house, through everything she does. Another very special and very responsible role belongs to women in the birth, upbringing and education of children. Wherever they work professionally, whether in the administrative, social or educational field, teachers in schools and kindergartens, dancers, artists or performers of folk music, doctors and nurses, the women - educated, aware of their value and that of their peers - is a benefit to the community in which they live.'

Remarkable women who marked her life? Yes, especially, the activity of doctor Ana Aslan for research in the field of geriatrics. As a former athlete, she appreciates the gymnast Nadia Comaneci for her exceptional and memorable achievements, as well as her fencing colleague, Olga Szabo, the former world champion in foil. In the artistic field, she has a special admiration for the entire career of the actress Draga Olteanu-Matei, and among the writers he remembers Ana Blandiana and her friend from Ploiesti, the creator of children's writings Victoria Furcoiu.

In history, surprisingly, Mrs Sateanu mentions the name of a young researcher from Oradea, a doctor in history, Cristina Puscas, a volunteer with special qualities of transmitting knowledge for the education of children from the 'Ceata lui Pitigoi' camp.

Some define a woman as the weaker sex or just the fair sex. Sateanu considers that to be an obsolete conception. Women have only been considered the weaker sex in ancient times, she says, without rights to education and equal opportunities.

'I admit and maintain that women know how to behave like a beautiful and attractive sex by appearance, by behaviour and by displaying their personal qualities, cheerful, conquering in the community. But a woman who is also intelligent, even if she is not so beautiful, becomes attractive through her spirit, fills the room with charm and brilliance,' says Mrs Sateanu.

What if women in particular have certain qualities that men do not and will never have? Yes, she says, men will never be able to have a maternal feeling. The family together contributes to the growth and education of the baby, but the elixir of life offered by the mother's breast is an important sign of highlighting the unmistakable quality of a mother.

'I think about the multiple tasks that a woman has to perform, daily and with the same dedication and perseverance, solving all the domestic problems, combined as harmoniously as possible with the professional ones, of the workplace. Can a woman's work be quantified?', wonders the leader of the Bihor Women's Union.

She also appreciates the involvement of men in domestic life.

'I appreciate every father who walks his child to playgrounds and parks, who does shopping and especially the one who does not forget to offer a ticket to a show and a flower as a symbol of tenderness and personal appreciation.'

What is the most beautiful gift she received on March 8? Every year, on this occasion, she receives flowers, trinkets, icons from children and grandchildren. But, this year, on Women's Day, her activity was appreciated with the Casa Frentiu Special Award and a plaque from Caritas Eparchial Oradea, as well as the Best Volunteer Diploma of the year 2024 offered by the Local Council of Oradea, through the Oradea Social Assistance Department. 'I was very happy for the appreciation of my activities.'

What does the weekly agenda of an 88-year-old woman look like? The morning begins with a small prayer. She then checks her work agenda. On the phone or in person, she discusses and distributes tasks to the collaborators of the County Union of Pensioners. Twice a week, she participates in the rehearsals of the Margareta Choir. A day at the end of the week is set aside for family and church.

In the context of today's world, Sateanu is firmly convinced that the feminine spirit could influence the fate of the world, bringing more peace and understanding among people.

'In both family and community life, the feminine spirit is a guide of good understanding, mutual respect, love and human dignity. Women defend life. They give birth and raise their children with a lot of maternal love, an extremely strong feeling, which is why they want to live in peace, freedom and good neighbourly understanding, to secure beautiful lives for them.' AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Eugenia Pasca; EN - writing by: Corneliu-Aurelian Colceriu)