Meet Suzan Muhanna: Starting Again in Cairo
After 20 years in NGO management, Suzan lost her work and her routine in Egypt. At Taabu she found a new craft, new friends and psychosocial support.
Pictured
Suzan Muhanna in an olive headscarf stitching by hand beneath a Palestinian flag in Cairo
FAJR’s leadership on Our TeamAfter years of working, suddenly having nowhere to go and no role to fulfill felt like losing a part of who I was.
Suzan Muhanna, 50 | Palestinian Artisan & Former NGO Professional
I’m Suzan Muhanna, and I’m 50. For 20 years, work was a major part of my life. I worked in management for institutions and NGOs, and after coming to Egypt, I kept working for another year. Then that chapter ended. Losing my position and my daily responsibilities felt like losing part of my identity.
My husband, my mother and one of my sons are still in Gaza, while I am in Egypt with another son who is receiving medical treatment. I was also grieving the loss of my daughter and struggling with loneliness and memories of the people and the life I had left behind.
Some friends encouraged me to come to Taabu. They told me to try something different and break my routine. So I did.
At Taabu, I found a reason to leave the house, meet people and engage my mind. I also began attending psychosocial support sessions, which gave me a space to work through some of the grief I had been carrying.
I learned a new craft and developed a skill that I hope can one day become a source of income. But I see this course as only a starting point. I want to keep learning and finding new ways to use what I have gained here.
After 20 years of building my life around work, starting again looks different from what I imagined. For me, this is a new beginning: a chance to create, reconnect and rediscover a sense of purpose.
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.
