Orang Asli woman builds house from sales on TikTok

TEMERLOH - In nearly five months of dabbling her hand in business, an Orang Asli woman, from the Jahut tribe, will have her dream house this May, which was built as a result of sales through the TikTok application.

Although it is only a small house to shelter the whole family, it gives immense satisfaction to Nur Rafidah Man, 26, from Kampung Penderas, Kuala Krau, here.

Started her business in November last year by producing products based on forest resources such as kacip fatimah (labisia pumila), tongkat ali (eurycoma longifolia jack) and honey, she did not expect that sharing her daily routine, as well as the Orang Asli customs, coupled with her village tranquillity, opened the door for her to generate income.

Using the @Jungle Girl account, the mother of a six-year-old daughter is now making a decent living, with nearly 60,000 followers on TikTok.

Nur Rafidah said that her confidence to do business through TikTok arose after going through a multimedia and digital business workshop, organised by a special education teacher, at the Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Kuala Krau, in June and August last year.

"Initially, I doubted if I could do it, but after the first time I did it and saw the results of the commission I got, I felt motivated, and without thinking twice I did it consistently.

"After that, I started doing business as an affiliate, by involving promotion activities and direct sales of other products, such as food and skincare, to get a side commission,” she told Bernama recently.

She added that among the things she learned from the workshop were video recording and editing methods, the selection of interesting video content titles, as well as the provision of equipment such as wireless microphones, lights and tripods.

Based on that, Nur Rafidah, who previously worked as a school canteen assistant, tried to produce her own products based on forest resources.

"I did not expect my attempt to be successful, and I never thought I would be able to generate more income compared with my previous job,” she said, adding that she has sold 9,000 units of her products, such as herbal oil, herbs and honey.

Meanwhile, SMK Kuala Krau integration special education multimedia teacher, Mohammad Hazeem Azemi, said that Rafidah was among 43 people from the first group of Orang Asli, who benefited from the multimedia studio facilities at the school.

He said that, although the studio was specifically for special education students, the position of SMK Kuala Krau, which is located outside the city, which is about 35 kilometres from Temerloh town, encouraged the school to open the facility to the local population, including Orang Asli.

"I believe that teachers are not only able to change students' thinking, but are also able to help improve the socioeconomics of the local community,” he said. - BERNAMA