Greece is closing 700 faculties. Its low start fee is guilty : NPR

[ad_1] <img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/8220x5485+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc8%2F06%2Ff71492e84aec8bf752103989228b%2Fnpr-greece-birthrates-ayman-oghanna107.JPG" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/8220x5485+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc8%2F06%2Ff71492e84aec8bf752103989228b%2Fnpr-greece-birthrates-ayman-oghanna107.JPG" class="img" alt="Four-year-old Vasiliki Vourgou and her teacher Maria Kokkinopliti in their kindergarten class in the village of Thanos. Most days, there are two pupils in this small classroom on the Greek island of Lemnos. On this day, one student was sick, so it was just Vasiliki alone with her teacher." fetchpriority="high"/> 4-year-old Vasiliki Vourgou and her instructor Maria Kokkinopliti of their kindergarten class within the village of Thanos on the Greek island of Lemnos on Sept. 29, 2025. Ayman Oghanna for NPR disguise caption

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Ayman Oghanna for NPR Households within the U.S. and world wide are having fewer kids as individuals make profoundly totally different selections about their lives. NPR's collection Inhabitants Shift: How Smaller Households Are Altering the World explores the causes and implications of this development.

The varsity day is simply getting began, and four-year-old Vasiliki Vourgou, a bit woman with darkish eyes and hair pulled again in a shiny ponytail with a sizzling pink scrunchie, is alone.

Most days, there are two pupils on this small classroom on the Greek island of Lemnos, with large home windows and a view of the varsity's entrance courtyard. However one pupil is sick, so in the present day it is simply Vasiliki, going by means of the morning routine together with her instructor.

The sky is grey, however Vasiliki's instructor says when the climate is good, she tries to get the women outdoors, to work together with the older kids, throughout their breaks.

"They watch for the youngsters from the first college to get out they usually be part of them additionally, to allow them to be extra social," the instructor, Maria Kokkinopliti, mentioned by means of an interpreter.

Lemnos, within the northern Aegean, is house to roughly 16,000 individuals unfold throughout a number of dozen small villages. Vasiliki's college, within the small village of Thanos, is one in all many in Greece that is dealing with declining pupil numbers, as youthful individuals transfer away, and those that keep have fewer kids.

Vasiliki's father, Stelios Vourgos, works lengthy hours as a shepherd, however he cannot think about elevating Vasiliki and her child brother wherever else.

"Right here, I fell in love with my spouse; right here is my job," Vourgos mentioned by means of an interpreter. "For the youngsters, it is a paradise to be raised on an island, as a result of large cities are like a jungle."

<img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/8368x5584+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8e%2F95%2F1d77ac794464a6179fda43d82e01%2Fnpr-greece-birthrates-ayman-oghanna113.JPG" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/8368x5584+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8e%2F95%2F1d77ac794464a6179fda43d82e01%2Fnpr-greece-birthrates-ayman-oghanna113.JPG" class="img" alt="Kontopouleio, Lemnos, GREECE: 09/29/25 Children play in a playground of a primary school on the Greek island of Lemnos. The small island, like many in Greece, has fewer children which means that some schools are closing or cutting programs. Ayman Oghanna for NPR" loading="lazy"/> Kids play on the playground of a major college on the Greek island of Lemnos on Sept. 29, 2025. Ayman Oghanna for NPR disguise caption

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Ayman Oghanna for NPR <img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/8368x5584+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F47%2F59%2F9aa40b6b4ebba17ce00b9c3b9c45%2Fnpr-greece-birthrates-ayman-oghanna108.JPG" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/8368x5584+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F47%2F59%2F9aa40b6b4ebba17ce00b9c3b9c45%2Fnpr-greece-birthrates-ayman-oghanna108.JPG" class="img" alt="Thanos, Lemnos, GREECE: 09/29/25 The solitary jacket of four-year-old student Vasiliki hangs on the clothes rack in her kindergarten in the Greek village of Thanos. Most days, there are two pupils in this small classroom on the Greek island of Lemnos. But, when NPR visited, one student was sick, so it was just Vasiliki in school alone. Ayman Oghanna for NPR" loading="lazy"/> The solitary jacket of four-year-old Vasiliki hangs on the garments rack in her kindergarten within the Greek village of Thanos on Sept. 29, 2025. Ayman Oghanna for NPR disguise caption

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Ayman Oghanna for NPR However the lifestyle right here faces rising challenges. The first college within the village the place his spouse grew up was shuttered a long time in the past, he mentioned.

He attended the identical college in Thanos the place Vasiliki is now a pupil, as did his father. However now he worries it will likely be shut down. With no thriving college, he mentioned, there will not be a lot left right here.

"There is a chain response after [a school closes], so individuals transfer into totally different locations, after which simply the previous persons are left there, and also you see villages disappearing," Vourgos mentioned.

Throughout many of the world, persons are having far fewer kids than their mother and father and grandparents did. Greece's birthrate is about 1.3 births per lady — nicely under the two.1 stage wanted to take care of the inhabitants.

<img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/6214x4147+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fec%2F26%2Fc6bc87534b37a103ee10456ba0c9%2Fnpr-greece-birthrates-ayman-oghanna118.JPG" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/6214x4147+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fec%2F26%2Fc6bc87534b37a103ee10456ba0c9%2Fnpr-greece-birthrates-ayman-oghanna118.JPG" class="img" alt="Lemnos, GREECE: 09/29/25 Vasiliki’s father, Stelios Vourgos, works long hours as a shepherd, but he can’t imagine raising Vasiliki and her baby brother anywhere else. “Here I fell in love with my wife; here is my job,” Vourgos said through an interpreter. “For the kids, it’s a paradise to be raised on an island, because big cities are like a jungle.” Ayman Oghanna for NPR" loading="lazy"/> Vasiliki's father, Stelios Vourgos, works lengthy hours as a shepherd, however he cannot think about elevating Vasiliki and her child brother wherever else. Ayman Oghanna for NPR disguise caption

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Ayman Oghanna for NPR The low birthrate is very seen in rural communities like Thanos and on Greek islands like Lemnos, the place a whole lot of faculties are reducing packages or closing. Nationwide, Greece's training ministry introduced greater than 700 faculties would shut this 12 months alone, or about 5% of the nation's faculties.

<img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/8368x5584+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fcb%2Fd2%2F29e5117f4e80902aa1d713f4bdca%2Fnpr-greece-birthrates-ayman-oghanna110.JPG" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/8368x5584+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fcb%2Fd2%2F29e5117f4e80902aa1d713f4bdca%2Fnpr-greece-birthrates-ayman-oghanna110.JPG" class="img" alt="Lemnos, GREECE: 09/29/25 Lemnos, in the northern Aegean, is home to roughly 16-thousand people spread across a few dozen small villages. The Greek island is one of many in Greece that’s facing declining student numbers, as younger people move away, and those who stay have fewer children. Ayman Oghanna for NPR" loading="lazy"/> Lemnos, within the northern Aegean Sea, is house to roughly 16-thousand individuals unfold throughout a number of dozen small villages. Ayman Oghanna for NPR disguise caption

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Ayman Oghanna for NPR "The island's infrastructure and accessible providers are additionally affected, plus restricted employment alternatives," Konstantinos Maditinos, president of the first training academics' affiliation on Lemnos, mentioned. "This implies younger {couples} have little incentive to remain on the island and go away, even when they're initially from right here."

For many who keep, healthcare providers will be restricted. Vourgos mentioned he and his spouse spent 1000's of euros to journey for medical take care of every of her two pregnancies.

The island's small public hospital has no neonatal ICU providers, so many pregnant ladies make that alternative, mentioned Dr. Olga Katira. She has been working as a pediatrician on Lemnos for greater than a decade. Katira mentioned she's observed the start fee shift in her personal workplace.

<img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/8368x5584+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F6b%2Fc8%2Fc3ca10a54d17a272548cc973d9f4%2Fnpr-greece-birthrates-ayman-oghanna116.JPG" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/8368x5584+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F6b%2Fc8%2Fc3ca10a54d17a272548cc973d9f4%2Fnpr-greece-birthrates-ayman-oghanna116.JPG" class="img" alt="Lemnos, GREECE: 09/29/25 Dr. Olga Katira. She has been working as a pediatrician on Lemnos for more than a decade. Katira said she’s noticed the birthrate shift in her own office. “There is a decline in newborns. We used to have six, seven newborns per month, and now we have three,” she said. “That is a decline that we can see.” Ayman Oghanna for NPR" loading="lazy"/> Dr. Olga Katira in her workplace in Lemnos, Greece on Sept. 29, 2025. She has been working as a pediatrician on Lemnos for greater than a decade. Ayman Oghanna for NPR disguise caption

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Ayman Oghanna for NPR "We used to have six, seven newborns per thirty days, and now now we have three," she mentioned. "That may be a decline that we are able to see."

Whereas the issue is extra pronounced in Greece's small cities and island communities, Katira worries about the way forward for the nation as an entire.

"We're a small nation, if it continues declining it will likely be very, very tough," she mentioned.

As households have had fewer kids or left the island, the inhabitants of Lemnos has plummeted by greater than a 3rd because the early Fifties, from a peak of greater than 27,000 individuals to about 16,000 in the latest Census.

The mayor of Lemnos, Eleonora Georga, mentioned shuttered faculties across the island are one of the apparent indicators of the decline.

Switching backwards and forwards between English and Greek, Georga mentioned the general inhabitants right here is getting smaller, and older.

<img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/8368x5584+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F3a%2Fe1%2Fc08c2cb64dde8831a94c5a77afe9%2Fnpr-greece-birthrates-ayman-oghanna111.JPG" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/8368x5584+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F3a%2Fe1%2Fc08c2cb64dde8831a94c5a77afe9%2Fnpr-greece-birthrates-ayman-oghanna111.JPG" class="img" alt="Lemnos, GREECE: 09/29/25 A woman relaxes on the beach in Lemnos, in the northern Aegean. The Greek island is home to roughly 16-thousand people spread across a few dozen small villages. The island is one of many in Greece that’s facing a demographic crisis as a decreasing birthrate has led to school closures Ayman Oghanna for NPR" loading="lazy"/> A girl relaxes on the seaside in Lemnos, within the northern Aegean Sea on Sept. 29, 2025. The Greek island is house to roughly 16,000 individuals unfold throughout a number of dozen small villages. Ayman Oghanna for NPR disguise caption

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Ayman Oghanna for NPR <img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/8368x5584+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc0%2F4a%2F03ef01b64ac7abd6bd70d8297d91%2Fnpr-greece-birthrates-ayman-oghanna114.JPG" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/8368x5584+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc0%2F4a%2F03ef01b64ac7abd6bd70d8297d91%2Fnpr-greece-birthrates-ayman-oghanna114.JPG" class="img" alt="Lemnos, GREECE: 09/29/25 Eleonora Georga, the mayor of Lemnos. Georga said the overall population on Lemnos is getting smaller, and older. “It's the contemporary lifestyle of the people nowadays. They're not choosing to create families anymore.” Ayman Oghanna for NPR" loading="lazy"/> Eleonora Georga, the mayor of Lemnos in her workplace on Sept. 29, 2025. Georga mentioned the general inhabitants on Lemnos is getting smaller, and older. Ayman Oghanna for NPR disguise caption

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Ayman Oghanna for NPR "It is the modern life-style of the individuals these days. They don't seem to be selecting to create households anymore," she mentioned by means of an interpreter.

In September, the Greek authorities introduced new tax incentives designed to deal with the start fee decline. Georga mentioned she additionally would really like the European Union to intervene.

Requested if she thinks extra immigration to Greek islands like Lemnos may be an answer, she hesitated.

"It is determined by who," she mentioned.

In recent times, Greece has seen a pointy enhance within the variety of migrants touring from jap Europe, Africa and the Center East — as Europe has seen waves of anti-immigrant protests.

Georga mentioned she'd fairly see Greeks who've left the nation transfer again.

These worries are shared by Angelos Vlapas, the principal of one other native major college on Lemnos, who mentioned he is involved about what immigration means for Greek identification.

<img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/7533x5027+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F3c%2F8c%2Fe84b2b0b464485bf660f4ae9445e%2Fnpr-greece-birthrates-ayman-oghanna131.JPG" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/7533x5027+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F3c%2F8c%2Fe84b2b0b464485bf660f4ae9445e%2Fnpr-greece-birthrates-ayman-oghanna131.JPG" class="img" alt="Kontopouleio, Lemnos, GREECE: 09/29/25 Angelos Vlapos, headmaster of the Kontopouleio primary school on the island of Lemnos, said he’s concerned about what immigration means for Greek identity. “We’re not criticising the people who came here to make a living,” Vlapas said through an interpreter. “On the contrary, those who have remained…have become valuable members of the local community. However, that doesn’t change the fact that they belong to a different nationality.” Ayman Oghanna for NPR" loading="lazy"/> Angelos Vlapas, headmaster of the Kontopouleio major college on the island of Lemnos on Sept. 29, 2025. Ayman Oghanna for NPR disguise caption

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Ayman Oghanna for NPR "We're not criticizing the individuals who got here right here to make a dwelling," Vlapas mentioned by means of an interpreter. "Quite the opposite, those that have remained…have change into useful members of the area people."

"Nevertheless, that does not change the truth that they belong to a distinct nationality."

Alexandra Tragaki, a professor of financial demography at Harokopion College of Athens, mentioned trendy ladies are having fewer kids partially as a result of they've taken on duties within the office with out having conventional, home duties proportionately decreased.

"Ladies modified roles, however nobody else did," Tragaki mentioned. "Neither the society, nor males, so a part of the roles that was once coated by ladies had been left uncovered. And when that occurs, clearly it is the scale of the household that's affected…So clearly, when you've each issues to do, parenting and dealing, what you chop down is the variety of kids you mum or dad."

<img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/6959x4644+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F47%2Ff9%2Fa87dfe6f4c2893524a41fe87ee99%2Fnpr-greece-birthrates-ayman-oghanna138.JPG" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/6959x4644+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F47%2Ff9%2Fa87dfe6f4c2893524a41fe87ee99%2Fnpr-greece-birthrates-ayman-oghanna138.JPG" class="img" alt="Fourni, GREECE: 10/01/25 An elderly woman on the streets of Fourni. In Greece, the birthrate is so low that the population is shrinking and aging. Ayman Oghanna for NPR" loading="lazy"/> An aged lady on the streets of Fourni, Greece on Oct. 1, 2025. Ayman Oghanna for NPR disguise caption

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Ayman Oghanna for NPR Tragaki mentioned many younger Greeks — who grew up at a time when the nation was struggling underneath a catastrophic financial downturn — fear about their very own future.

"They've been introduced up in consecutive crises," Tragaki mentioned. "They had been born in disaster. They had been introduced up in monetary disaster, in vitality disaster, in pandemic disaster. So what they've discovered is that they should count on the surprising."

The concept the tradition round household life is shifting in a profound approach additionally resonates with longtime residents of one other smaller island, Fourni. The island, practically 200 miles southeast of Lemnos throughout the Aegean Sea, is house to roughly a thousand individuals, relying on the time of 12 months.

On a sunny, clear morning, a gaggle of aged males sit outdoors a small native market, underneath the flawless blue sky.

<img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/8368x5584+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F10%2F4f%2Fea34a9e74ea1a3597ac656de0b9f%2Fnpr-greece-birthrates-ayman-oghanna109.JPG" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/8368x5584+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F10%2F4f%2Fea34a9e74ea1a3597ac656de0b9f%2Fnpr-greece-birthrates-ayman-oghanna109.JPG" class="img" alt="Fourni, GREECE: 09/28/25 Nikolaos Amorgianos, 86, (center) on the Greek island of Fourni says: “in 10 years, Greece will be a country of old people.” “Now the young people, they only care about the bars, about going out, and they’ve abandoned the mountains, they’ve abandoned the countryside,” he said. His friend, 92-year-old Parthenios Flytzanis, (left) agrees saying: “Women back then had 5, 6, 7 children,” he said. “And they still took care of the goats, and the garden.” “The chickens,” Amorgianos adds. Ayman Oghanna for NPR" loading="lazy"/> 92-year-old Parthenios Flytzanis, left, and Nikolaos Amorgianos, 86, heart, on the Greek island of Fourni on Oct. 1, 2025. Ayman Oghanna for NPR disguise caption

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Ayman Oghanna for NPR Parthenios Flytzanis, 92, and Nikolaos Amorgianos, 86, are reminiscing in regards to the previous, and thru an interpreter, say they fear in regards to the nation's future.

"In 10 years, Greece might be a rustic of previous individuals," Amorgianos mentioned.

Amorgianos believes youthful generations are selecting to have fewer kids as a result of their values have modified.

"Now the younger individuals, they solely care in regards to the bars, about going out, they usually've deserted the mountains, they've deserted the countryside," he mentioned.

Flytzanis agreed. He believes ladies particularly have modified.

"Ladies again then had 5, 6, 7 kids," he mentioned. "They usually nonetheless took care of the goats, and the backyard."

"The chickens," Amorgianos added.

Amorgianos remembers his mom making her personal bread, however now he believes youthful individuals need the whole lot to be handy.

"So sure, life has change into simpler, and other people have gotten lazier," he mentioned.

Ladies in the present day have extra selections, however for many who select to boost kids on a distant island, that alternative comes with its personal difficulties.

<img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/5106x3403+0+4207/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F7b%2Ff1%2F1ad7b3f84680aeccd346f6525e8e%2Fnpr-greece-birthrates-ayman-oghanna144.JPG" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/5106x3403+0+4207/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F7b%2Ff1%2F1ad7b3f84680aeccd346f6525e8e%2Fnpr-greece-birthrates-ayman-oghanna144.JPG" class="img" alt="Thymaina, GREECE: 10/01/25 Katerina Vrana, mother of three children on the island of Thymaina where her children commute to another island by ferry. Ayman Oghanna for NPR" loading="lazy"/> Katerina Vrana in Thymaina, Greece on Oct. 1, 2025. Ayman Oghanna for NPR disguise caption

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Ayman Oghanna for NPR Katerina Vrana lives on a fair smaller island neighboring Fourni, Thymaina, together with her husband and their three kids. By means of an interpreter, Vrana says she and her husband had been each born and raised on the island. He is a fisherman, and she or he owns a restaurant.

For her first two pregnancies, Vrana mentioned she paid 1000's of euros to journey off the island to see medical doctors and ship her infants. She needed one other little one, she mentioned, however hesitated due to the associated fee.

Then, she discovered about HOPEgenesis, an Athens-based nonprofit that pays for medical care and transportation for pregnant ladies from small islands and villages. It is funded largely with company and philanthropic assist. By means of an interpreter, Vrana mentioned this system allowed her to make her "dream" of a 3rd little one "actuality."

HOPEgenesis began by working with ladies in Fourni a decade in the past and has since expanded providers to some 500 small villages and island communities, in an effort to assist reverse the declining birthrate.

"Once they felt safe, once they felt that they had monetary assist, ladies began having infants once more," venture supervisor with HOPEgenesis Eva Papadaki mentioned.

<img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/8368x5584+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F34%2Fee%2Fed25737f4937a76d6e4e9bcaa825%2Fnpr-greece-birthrates-ayman-oghanna106.JPG" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/8368x5584+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F34%2Fee%2Fed25737f4937a76d6e4e9bcaa825%2Fnpr-greece-birthrates-ayman-oghanna106.JPG" class="img" alt="Thymaina, GREECE: 10/01/25 The port of the tiny Greek island of Thymaina. The primary school on Thymaina is down to just two grade-school students and school children have to commute by ferry to another island as a decreasing birthrate has led to school closures Ayman Oghanna for NPR" loading="lazy"/> The port of the tiny Greek island of Thymaina on Oct. 1, 2025. Ayman Oghanna for NPR disguise caption

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Ayman Oghanna for NPR <img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/8368x5584+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ffd%2F46%2F901de66c4ccf89115e38d40f869a%2Fnpr-greece-birthrates-ayman-oghanna119.JPG" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/8368x5584+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ffd%2F46%2F901de66c4ccf89115e38d40f869a%2Fnpr-greece-birthrates-ayman-oghanna119.JPG" class="img" alt="Fourni, GREECE: 09/28/25 A girl carries a package from the ferry between the Greek islands of Fourni and Thymaina. A remote fishing village where a declining population is making schools shrink and close, supplies have to be taken in by ferry. Ayman Oghanna for NPR" loading="lazy"/> A woman carries a package deal from the ferry between the Greek islands of Fourni and Thymaina on Oct. 1, 2025. Within the distant fishing village of Thymaina the place a declining inhabitants is making faculties shrink and shut, provides must be taken in by ferry. Ayman Oghanna for NPR disguise caption

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Ayman Oghanna for NPR However even with that monetary assist to have kids, elevating them on small islands is difficult. The first college on Thymaina is down to only two grade-school college students. There is no college for Vrana's two older kids, who journey to Fourni for secondary college by ferry.

This 12 months, Vrana mentioned her youngest son would have been the one little one in Thymaina's kindergarten, so she's determined to ship him by boat to Fourni, to the kindergarten that serves all of that island's kids, so he will not be alone.

Many days, Vrana and her son experience the ferry to Fourni for varsity, alongside together with his older siblings and some others. One of many secondary college students, 16-year-old Georgia Gramatikou, mentioned typically within the winter the climate is just too harmful for her and her twin brother to make the crossing and go to high school.

Whereas Georgia enjoys her island house, she does not suppose she'll keep right here.

"It's extremely good right here, and it is peaceable, however I do not see myself dwelling right here sooner or later as a result of there aren't many alternatives," she mentioned by means of an interpreter.

Persons are slowly leaving the island, she mentioned, and the retailers are closing.

<img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/8368x5584+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F18%2Ff8%2F15319f364a73a9c80a5a800c0b93%2Fnpr-greece-birthrates-ayman-oghanna123.JPG" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/8368x5584+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F18%2Ff8%2F15319f364a73a9c80a5a800c0b93%2Fnpr-greece-birthrates-ayman-oghanna123.JPG" class="img" alt="Fourni, GREECE: 09/28/25 Children in Kindergarten class on the Greek island of Fourni where a decline in population is making schools shrink and close. Ayman Oghanna for NPR" loading="lazy"/> Kids in Kindergarten class on the Greek island of Fourni on Oct. 1, 2025. Ayman Oghanna for NPR disguise caption

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Ayman Oghanna for NPR Again on Fourni, Dimitris Markakis, an area enterprise proprietor and metropolis official, says household life has at all times been necessary in Greece, however it was as soon as seen as important. Many households had been poor, he says, however they noticed having kids as a supply of happiness, "because the that means of the life."