A teacher in the Greek village of Fourna has denied reports that a large family who recently left the community had been living in a house infested with rats and mice.
Panagiota Diamanti said descriptions of a rodent infestation referred to the condition of a long-abandoned property before it was renovated, and not to the time the family was living there.
The family, identified as Stefanos and Vasiliki, initially moved to Fourna in the Evrytania region with their rent covered by the New Life in the Village program, which is designed to help new arrivals establish themselves.
Diamanti said the family later looked for a larger home and chose a four-room duplex with an attic and a fireplace that had been empty for between 20 and 25 years.
The property owner agreed to provide the house rent-free on the condition that necessary renovation work was carried out.
Condition of the property
Diamanti described the reports that the family lived with rats and mice as ridiculous.
She said the description came from a technician hired to work on the house, who was talking about the state of the property after years of abandonment.
Cleaning and renovation work began before the family moved in to make the house suitable for habitation.
Fourna is a mountainous village in central Greece. Like many remote communities across the country, it has faced a declining population and has sought to attract young families to keep local services and schools open.
Village revival efforts
In a video posted to social media, the teacher clarified how families have been settling in Fourna, noting that not all new arrivals rely on the New Life in the Village program.
Diamanti said the rebirth of a village cannot be based entirely on financial incentives. She said rural communities need people who choose to stay, work, raise children, keep schools open and support local life on a daily basis.
Five families with children currently live in Fourna, including the family of Vasiliki's sister.
While some of those families arrived through the support program and received help for their first few months, Diamanti said others moved independently.
She said two families had returned to their home region with their children without receiving any subsidies, despite having established lives elsewhere.
The teacher said she spoke out to present the real facts because she felt recent reports did not reflect the reality of the situation in the village.
