Eleni Foka was born in Agia Triada Yialousa, Karpasia, in 1950.
A graduate in Home Economics from the Greek University, she became an educator in 1973. The Turkish invasion of Cyprus on July 20, 1974, found her at her home in Agia Triada. She endured the horrors of war and occupation, facing Turkish settlers alone and withstanding their atrocities to provide education to the few trapped Cypriot children and to instill courage in her fellow villagers, for 23 long years.
In 1997, a health issue compelled her to move to the free areas, and since then, she was not allowed to return to her enslaved village. Devoted to the cause of "I Do Not Forget," she continued her struggle in the free areas alongside the mothers of the missing.
She participated in anti-occupation events, giving lectures in schools in Cyprus and abroad, speaking about the occupation and the issues our country faces.
Today, she lives with her memories in a suburb of Nicosia, where her modest refugee home is located.
