Fátima Bettencourt was born in S. Antão, but she was raised in S. Vicente where she studied at the Liceu Gil Eanes. In Lisbon, she graduated as a school teacher, and she taught in Portugal, Guiné-Bissau, Angola and, especially, in some Cabo Verde Islands. Her teaching practices lead her to teach at the Rádio Educativa, in Praia. While being a teacher, she was a radio journalist and a written press columnist.

She is a member of the the Cape Verde Writers Association, and a founding member of the Cape Verdean Academy of Letters. She received many awards, among them, the Medal of Cultural Merit by the Cape Verde Government in 2005, the Eugénio Tavares Award for Journalist Chronicles in 2006; and the Volcano Medal, which was given by the President of the Republic of Cape Verde in 2010, for her cultural activity in the country. Many of her literary writings have received awards in various contests.

She has collaborated with many national and international magazines and journals, and participated in many anthologies. She also did a study about Public Libraries in Cape Verde and about National Gastronomy, Uses and Customs.