Armless carpenter makes furniture in Ethiopia

WELETE SUK, ETHIOPIA - UNDATED: Carpenter Sintayehu Tishale, 42, hammers in a nail using his feet in his workshop in Welete Suk, on the edge of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

A man who lost the use of his arms after being born with debilitating polio has defied expectations by becoming a carpenter. Sintayehu Tishale, 42, uses his feet to saw, chap, hammer and lathe wood into furniture, which he then sells in his workshop.

Despite his limited mobility, the skilled craftsman wields a hammer with incredible accuracy and can operate dangerous machinery with his dexterous feet. The married father-of-five, who uses a specially adapted bicycle chair to get around, is famous in his hometown of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for his great talent. He said to develop his amazing skills he had to train his legs to become stronger and more flexible. Sintayehu said:

"When I was very young I used to like to work in a garden using my legs as hands. Later I began to fix small things like stools and practiced sharpening knives with my feet. I made sure to practice as much as I could because I knew I had to make me feet work like hands."
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