Fata was born on 6 August 1942 to Muslim and ethnically Bosniak parents Šaban and Zlatka Husejnović, in the eastern Bosnian hamlet Hrnčići on the outskirts of Bratunac.

She married Šaćir Orlović, with whom she had seven children including four daughters: Fatima, Zlatka, Hurija, and Senija; and three sons: Šaban, Hasan, and Ejub.

According to James Rodehaver, human rights director for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Sarajevo, the relocation of the church will be an important indicator of a return to the rule of law and the possibility of resolving the legacy of the war.

She has had to build her own home on the charred remains of the old one, with her own funds and some assistance from Sulejman Tihić, former member of the government of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who provided roofing tiles, windows, and doors.

][clarification needed] The US Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina nominated Fata Orlović for the international "The Woman of Courage" award, given to brave women who fight for their rights in a nonviolent way.