Lucky’s Rise in Plumbing - ENYC

Lucky’s Rise in Plumbing

In the community of Sigulaneni in the Hhohho region lives thirty four year old Lucky Dlamini, a young man whose determination carried him through setbacks and opened the door to a meaningful career in plumbing. Today he is using his skills with purpose and confidence, but his journey to this point took years of patience and persistence.

Lucky completed his plumbing training at the Manzini Industrial Training Centre in 2018 and later earned a Grade Three plumbing qualification from VOCTIM. With these achievements, he hoped to begin his work immediately. He had the skill, the knowledge and the desire to serve his community. What he did not have were the tools to start.

Because of this, he relied on borrowing tools from others just to take on small plumbing jobs. It was a difficult compromise. Borrowing tools meant sharing the income he earned with the tool owner, which often left him underpaid. It also limited the amount of work he could accept. He knew he was capable of more, but without his own equipment, his progress remained slow and uncertain.

In 2022, he applied for the TVET Starter Toolkit Programme, hoping it would give him the opportunity he needed. He was not selected. It was a painful moment, but he refused to give up. When the programme reopened in 2024 under the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs and implemented by the Eswatini National Youth Council, Lucky tried again. This time, he was selected as one of more than one hundred young people to receive a starter toolkit.

“This was my second attempt,” he says. “I applied in 2022 but did not make it. I tried again and got selected. Now I am my own boss.”

With his plumbing toolkit, Lucky finally stepped into the career he had long prepared for. He has completed more than five plumbing projects for homes and complexes within his community. He fixes toilets, bathrooms, sculleries and sinks with a level of professionalism that brings trust from the people he serves. When the workload grows, he calls on other young people to help, turning his small start into opportunities for others as well.

The support he received did not end with tools. Through business training offered by the Youth Enterprise Fund, Lucky learned how to manage his finances, save consistently and plan for the growth of his business. He is now putting money aside to register his own company. His dream is to become a legal supplier for organisations such as the Eswatini Water Services Corporation and similar institutions. With the discipline he carries, this goal feels within reach.

Lucky’s journey is a powerful reminder of what can happen when young people are supported with the right tools, the right knowledge and the right encouragement. A

second attempt turned into a second chance, and that chance transformed his life. The impact of this support now extends beyond him. It reaches the young people he calls in for work, the households he serves and the community that trusts his skill.

His story shows that empowerment is not just about providing equipment. It is about restoring hope, unlocking purpose and helping young people step into the futures they were trained for.