Meet Faten Murad: Crochet Filled Her Days
Faten, a former nurse from Gaza, knew no one in Egypt. She joined her children at Taabu, discovered crochet and found a new community there.
Pictured
Women and a girl crocheting with yellow yarn around a table at Taabu in Cairo
FAJR’s leadership on Our TeamCrochet gave me something to focus on when my days felt empty.
Faten Murad, 32 | Palestinian Nurse, Artisan & Mother of Five
I’m Faten Murad, a 32-year-old Palestinian mother of five. Before leaving Gaza, I worked as a nurse at Al-Shifa Hospital. When I came to Egypt, I left behind not only my work, but also my community and the daily life I knew. My husband is still in Gaza, and here I had no relatives, no friends and no work to go to.
Most days, I stayed home with my children, with long empty hours and very few people around me.
My children were the first to start going to activities at Taabu. Later, I decided to join them, and that is when I discovered crochet.
I started from the very beginning, and soon crochet became much more than a way to pass the time. It gave me something to focus on, helped me step away from painful thoughts, and became a creative outlet during a time of isolation and uncertainty.
Today, I can make something with my own hands, keep developing a skill that is truly mine, and spend my time on something that gives me a sense of purpose.
In a place where I once knew no one, I found a new community. And in crochet, I found something that keeps me creating and moving forward.
Taabu Club ran the Karama Project in Cairo with FAJR Global from April to September 2026, supporting displaced Palestinian women through handicrafts and emotional support.
