25 year old Alcinah Mkonto from the Mdala base in Mpumalanga said that her international deployment to Canada last year has really helped her break the spine of poverty in her family.

“We are a family of eight and living in a tiny house. I couldn’t build extra rooms for the family,’’ she said.

She said the Canadian deployment was one of the biggest breaks in her life. ‘‘I did not believe that I got such a generous reward on my return,’’ explained Mkonto.

‘‘After my return from Canada I was able to build my family a decent house. My father relies on small jobs and I am the sole breadwinner at home,’’ Alcinah told WoFire News.

Alcinah has also done her driver’s licence with the rest of the stipend she got. She now encourages her colleagues to use their stipend wisely and save some money.