The outbreak of World War II led to the shut down of many schools, as it was considered that the buildings would be easy bombing targets. According to the testimonies of the settlement’s residents, every time they heard the sirens, the teacher ran with the children to the shelters in order to protect themselves– something that children saw as playing. During the Nazi Occupation, the school was closed permanently, and the teacher fled to Athens because she was being chased by the Italian soldiers. The struggle for survival had just begun and the daily life of the inhabitants of the settlement changed significantly, although they were in a more advantageous position when compared to the extreme hunger experienced by the people of Athens.