Brewing Resilience: How Norhanidah Macatoon Transforms Trauma into Hope for Muslim Filipinos—One Cup of Coffee at a Time

Norhanidah Macatoon, a survivor of the Marawi siege, is redefining resilience through her transformative work with Team Aqilah, a youth-led organization providing psychosocial support for Muslim Filipinos in Lanao del Sur. In 2017, as bombs echoed across Marawi City and the lives of 360,000 civilians were upended, Macatoon experienced loss and trauma firsthand. The siege left her city and community shattered, but Macatoon chose not to be defeated by this hardship. Instead, she harnessed her pain as a source of strength to uplift others, advocating for mental health support and financial empowerment in her community. She wanted to offer a safe space for others to heal. “I refused to be a victim,” Macatoon says, “instead, I chose to be a resource.”

Breaking Taboos and Building Safe Spaces

For many Muslim Filipinos, mental health remains a sensitive issue, with conversations around psychological support often viewed as taboo. To address this, Macatoon and Team Aqilah launched Project MHARAWI, establishing mental health hubs at Mindanao State University. Through this initiative, over 10,000 students now have access to mental health resources tailored to their cultural context. By integrating Islamic values into their approach, the project has helped overcome cultural barriers, and today, more Meranaws recognize the importance of mental wellness.

The Birth of “Cup of Hope”

Faced with funding limitations for Team Aqilah, Macatoon and her team sought creative solutions. Drawing inspiration from local coffee farmers and former members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), they launched Cup of Hope, a social enterprise blending Lanao del Sur’s coffee production with purposeful employment. With support from USAID and Plan International’s Marawi Response Project, Cup of Hope offers former combatants opportunities to work as coffee farmers, allowing them to reintegrate into society and build sustainable futures.