The Team:
We are a group of nine diploma students currently studying at the University of Sheffield’s School of Architecture. For six weeks we will be working with the Foundation for Social Assistance and Youth (FAST) and the Roma families of Tarlungeni to improve the current housing situation of the Roma people in the village.
Left to right: John, Emina, Tom, Sarah, Anna, Simon, Lorenzo, Tony, Tao
The Village – Tarlungeni:
Tarlungeni is a village of about 8.000 inhabitants, a mixture of Romanian, Hungarian and Roma families. The village is situated within Brasov county, about 12 km from Brasov city centre. It is set within the Zizin Valley, between the river Tarlung and the neighbouring village of Zizin.
The Roma People:
There are approximately 1,800 Roma in Tarlungeni, just under a quarter of the village’s population. Despite making up a high proportion of the population, they are shunned to the edge of the village and live in an assortment of makeshift houses. Many of these houses are not considered fit for human habitation and it is in response to this that FAST has developed its ‘Better Homes’ programme.
The Foundation for Social Assistance and Youth (FAST): www.fastcharity.ro
A Romanian non-governmental organisation established in September 1998 in Brasov, centre of Romania; their mission is to support the underprivileged people from Romania in their fight against poverty and discrimination by:
- Improving the quality of life for disadvantaged children in critical situations.
- Reducing poverty and prevent child abandonment in poor Roma communities.
- Increasing access to education for needy children living in disadvantaged rural areas.
- Promoting the concept of voluntary work amongst the youth of Romani.
As part of their work, FAST are running a ‘Better Homes’ programme. This aims to support the renovation and refurbishment of homes, but also looks at providing new housing for families living in poor conditions.
Better Homes:
Aims
- Helping individual families improve the quality of their lives by supporting the renovation and refurbishment of their homes, and offering practical assistance towards the betterment of their life. Developing a company of local people with construction skills to improve cash flow into the community.
- Recruit unskilled labour from the village.
- Labour is from the men of the village but also volunteers from various charities. (mission to Eastern Europe).
- It is a joint initiative of FAST, The Cleaford Christian Trust and the Local Councils of the villages of Tarlungeni and Zizin, near Brasov.
The Original Plan
- Build a first house, Mark 1, as a trial of the design and construction process.
- Review the design, materials, etc. in the light of experience.
- Use the first house as a store for materials and commence construction of the other 9 which form phase 1 of the project. As the community starts to earn some income it is the intention that families will pay a small rent for their Better Home, thus generating funds for further building.
As part of our project we aim to help construct the Mark 1 House and carry out a critique of the completed building before going on to develop a Mark II House which will aim to be more appropriate to the Roma way of life.
Sponsors:
We would like to thank the following for their kind donations of time, equipment, materials and finance.
Earth Tech Engineering Ltd
MHI Design
East Riding & Yorkshire Council
Pete Williams, University of Sheffield
Cleeford Christian Trust
And last but not least, our friends, families and the kind people of Sheffield.
