Slobozia – A place forgotten by the world
Somerset Foundation has chosen as a target population for aid people from Slobozia village, Voineşti commune, Iasi county, especially Roma people, as many needs have been identified here: health problems, lack of school and health education, the phenomenon of overcrowding of households and housing degradation. The village of Slobozia is located 20 km away from the county seat – Iasi, in a hilly and forest area. The village is divided into two parts, valley and hill: in the part of the valley are located the houses of the Romanians, and in the part from the hill – which is much more extensive – are located the houses of the Roma.
The area where the Roma homes are located is about 3 km from the entrance to the village. According to approximate estimates made by local authorities, the village of Slobozia has 1,500 inhabitants, of whom about 1,000 are Romanianized Gypsies and who declared themselves Romanians at the last census because, they say, they do not know the Romanian language.