Lesotho, March 18 -- What began as a difficult period in a young man's life has grown into a promising small furniture business. Moshee Mokatja, a student at Lerotholi Polytechnic, is steadily building a reputation for designing and producing stylish furniture made from man-made wood.

Today, Moshee creates modern furniture for homes and businesses, but his journey started during a time of uncertainty. After struggling academically and separating from people he had previously worked with, he suddenly found himself with a lot of time and little direction.

Instead of giving up, he chose to learn a new skill.

Moshee's introduction to furniture making came through a mentor who taught him how to build study tables. At the time, it was the o...