A medical doctor from Goreangab

RUTH KAMWISometimes she used to attend school on an empty stomach, but Melka Nekongo, who hails from one of Windhoek’s poorest neighbourhoods, never gave up her dream of becoming a doctor.

“SHE has never disappointed me when it comes to her schoolwork.”

These were the sentiments of Ananias Negongo, who expressed joy over his daughter’s academic brilliance.

The father, who is a floor supervisor at Build It, said being the breadwinner while faced with financial problems was very challenging, especially because he had to provide for a big family whose happiness he could not always guarantee.

He remembered one incident during which a doctor commented on his daughter’s intelligence while diagnosing her. Negongo said at the time, he and his wife just laughed it off as something people said about young children.

Little did he know that his daughter would later pursue her university studies in the field of medicine.

Melka Nekongo (24), who never attended kindergarten but was taught how to count and write her name by her father, said some people never believed in the possibility of her becoming a medical doctor.

“Tough,” is how she described her five-year medical journey.

Growing up in Windhoek’s Goreangab location, Nekongo experienced a difficult childhood, having lost her mother in 2001 – when she was in Grade 1 – as well as hailing from a disadvantaged background.

She reminisced how her father – whom she describes as her hero – introduced her to people as the child who wanted to become a doctor, or as the doctor of the family, when she was younger.

Nekongo said: “If somebody had a headache, then I’d be the one to massage them before there was any indication that I would become a doctor.”

The eloquent speaker, who sat with her hands clenched, cross-legged and wearing a long-sleeved sky-blue polka-dotted shirt and black knee-length skirt, narrated not having had enough food to eat during her primary school years, and that she would usually benefit from the school’s feeding programme.

She said she also didn’t have enough money for toiletries, and that teachers would sometimes kindly provide those.

She also cited the Christina-Swart Opperman Trust as having assisted her.

Nekongo revealed that in addition to walking to school, she had uniforms handed down to her.

“My father tried his utmost best, but we were just too many mouths to satisfy,” she said, adding that much of her schooling was funded by good Samaritans [such as teachers] and many others.

Despite having been a top achiever in her primary and secondary school years, she said she focused on surviving in university.

She strongly felt the absence of her mother, when children would taunt her – as they knew she had no mother to report to.

“I cannot pinpoint what or who inspired me to study medicine because it’s just something that I grew up with ever since I was a kid,” she said. “I believe it’s the love for people. Just the love for people,” she continued.

Nekongo opened up to having her share of trauma, as well as battling mental health issues in primary school.

“My school was kind enough to put me through therapy that changed my life forever. I believe I am some miracle learner because there were times so dark that even those who cared for me doubted whether I would come out victorious”, she continued.

In April this year, Nekongo will prove how far she has come when her family and friends will watch and applaud as she glides over the stage to accept her bachelor’s degree in medicine and surgery.

Her journey to reach this point, however, was not without challenges– although she attributed her strength and identity to have stemmed from her difficulties.

She is the sixth of 10 children – seven girls and three boys – raised by a single father who later married a wonderful woman, as described by Nekongo, to have filled a void.

One of her sisters has always taken pride in Nekongo’s academic success, while her elder brother [David] has always challenged her to do her best. Her younger siblings look to her as their role model.

That Nekongo is on her way to becoming a medical doctor is not surprising, as she attained 42 points in Grade 12 at the Hage Geingob High School.

“Those were some of the best years of my life,” a gleeful Nekongo exclaimed about the point in life when she came to value the importance of education. The Otjiwarongo-born young lady said the challenges she faced in her early life moulded her into a mature person by the time she attended high school. “There was so much mentoring at my primary school, just so many things to be grateful for,” she added.

Afterwards, things just fell into place. She went to high school and attained the necessary grades, and after applying, eventually managed to be admitted at the University of Namibia’s School of Medicine.

“I struggled a bit with my maths, but eventually I got a grade in maths that would qualify me to enter into medical school,” Nekongo said while giggling.