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Construction materials serve as playground in gypsy settlement

Susana Vera

A boy plays on a slide made out of discarded construction material at the Romanian gypsy settlement of "El Gallinero", on the outskirts of Madrid, Spain, Nov. 24. More than 400 Romanian gypsies live in precarious conditions, without running water or sewage services, in "El Gallinero", just 9 miles away from Madrid's centre. The inhabitants live in ramshackle huts made out of cardboard and zinc in an area prone to flooding. They have no running water or sewer services. Their children play amidst garbage, copper cables and rats.