Wearing dust masks and heavy black work boots, sweat dripping down their foreheads and covered with sawdust from head to toe, Mohd Hafiz Johari and Nooradzrene Mohd Noor stepped out of their small woodworking workshop in Kampung Dato Tatah, Pantai Dalam in Kuala Lumpur after a long day’s work.
“I have never been so comfortable in a job, ” says Mohd Hafiz, breaking out in a smile. “Yes, we’re always covered in dust and our hands and our faces are black by the time we go home for the day but it feels great. This is our own business and it feels good to be working for ourselves, ” he says, voice bursting with pride.