Helena Shikongo
Helena Shikongo

19 years of unwavering service delivery at MVA

Cultivating long-term work partnerships
Helen Penejambeko Shikongo reflects on her career journey and imparts valuable lessons as she prepares to depart from the fund after 19 years of dedicated service.
Rita Kakelo
Helen Penejambeko Shikongo is a compassionate professional with 19 years of experience assisting individuals in coping with and resolving everyday challenges as part of her 19-year career at the Motor Vehicle Accident (MVA) Fund. An excellent communicator, she possesses a talent for cultivating long-term work partnerships. Now, Shikongo is set to depart soon from the MVA Fund after dedicating 19 years to the organisation.



Background

Shikongo was raised in Windhoek in a family of seven, with three brothers (two late) and four girls (one late, a twin). For her education, she attended both Mandume Primary and Namutoni Primary schools in Katutura and completed her secondary school education at Martin Luther High School in Okombahe, Omaruru.

She outlines her journey towards acquiring the necessary skills and prerequisites for the labour market through a sequence of well-timed events:

1985-1986: Social worker assistant at the health and social services ministry.

1986-1987: Transferred as senior accounts payable clerk to the Windhoek Central Hospital.

1987-1989: Further studies in Harare, Zimbabwe, at the Associate College of the University of Zimbabwe, focusing on social work and advanced intensive English courses.

1990-02 - 1992-11: Programme officer at the Namibia Development Trust under the leadership of Lindy Kazombaue.

1995-1996: Typist clerk and control officer at Namdeb Hospital.

1996-2001: Branch administrator for Prosperity Health Medical Aid, managing the office in Oranjemund (Gem Health).



Duties

Shikongo joined the MVA Fund in September 2004 as a case manager in the claims department and was later promoted to head of medical provider relations in 2012. She thrives under pressure, adapting well to different situations and obstacles to promote the organisational brand. Her responsibilities include training customer service representatives, multitasking and developing professional partnerships to increase profitability and achieve firm results.

Shikongo describes herself as a strong-willed individual, compassionate to others, always ready to encourage hard work and lend a helping hand, and capable of working with diverse groups of people. She enjoys interacting with people, providing information on the fund's claims processes and assisting in signing up with the fund to provide services to those injured in car crashes.

Acknowledging these challenges, Shikongo admits to struggling with multitasking and delegating responsibilities. However, her unique work strategy, a blend of her personality traits, life experiences, hobbies and abilities, helps her navigate through these hurdles. She emphasises her individuality, stating, "No one has the exact same set of characteristics as me, and that makes me special."

As a long-serving employee, Shikongo advises new professionals to convey their thoughts, opinions, ideas and feelings clearly and honestly in a courteous manner.

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Namibian Sun 2024-05-18

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Nam 2.22 SAME | Oryx Properties Ltd 12.1 UP 1.70% | Paratus Namibia Holdings 11.99 SAME | SBN Holdings 8.45 SAME | Trustco Group Holdings Ltd 0.48 SAME | B2Gold Corporation 47.34 DOWN 1.50% | Local Index closed 677.62 UP 0.12% | Overall Index closed 1534.6 DOWN 0.05% | Osino Resources Corp 19.47 DOWN 2.41% | Commodities: Gold US$ 2 414.72/OZ UP +1.55% | Copper US$ 5.04/lb UP +4.12% | Zinc US$ 3 059.30/T UP 0.11% | Brent Crude Oil US$ 84.28/BBP UP +0.60% | Platinum US$ 1 084.88/OZ UP +2.19% Sport results: Premier League: Manchester United 3 vs 2 Newcastle | Brighton 1 vs 2 Chelsea LaLiga: Real Sociedad 1 vs 0 Valencia | Almería 0 vs 2 Barcelona | Las Palmas 2 vs 2 Real Betis | Celta Vigo 2 vs 1 Athletic Club | Getafe 0 vs 3 Atletico Madrid | Sevilla 0 vs 1 Cadiz | Rayo Vallecano 2 vs 1 Granada SerieA: Lecce 0 vs 2 Atalanta | Fiorentina 2 vs 2 Napoli European Championships Qualifying: Southampton 3 vs 1 West Bromwich Albion | Leeds United 4 vs 0 Norwich City English Championship: Southampton 3 vs 1 West Bromwich Albion | Leeds United 4 vs 0 Norwich City Weather: Katima Mulilo: 10° | 31° Rundu: 10° | 30° Eenhana: 12° | 31° Oshakati: 13° | 31° Ruacana: 12° | 31° Tsumeb: 14° | 29° Otjiwarongo: 12° | 27° Omaruru: 13° | 30° Windhoek: 12° | 27° Gobabis: 13° | 27° Henties Bay: 19° | 33° Wind speed: 41km/h, Wind direction: NE, Low tide: 06:32, High tide: 12:50, Low Tide: 18:28, High tide: 00:56 Swakopmund: 20° | 23° Wind speed: 30km/h, Wind direction: SE, Low tide: 06:30, High tide: 12:48, Low Tide: 18:26, High tide: 00:54 Walvis Bay: 22° | 32° Wind speed: 30km/h, Wind direction: SE, Low tide: 06:30, High tide: 12:47, Low Tide: 18:26, High tide: 00:53 Rehoboth: 12° | 27° Mariental: 16° | 29° Keetmanshoop: 17° | 29° Aranos: 16° | 29° Lüderitz: 19° | 35° Ariamsvlei: 16° | 31° Oranjemund: 14° | 31° Luanda: 24° | 28° Gaborone: 13° | 27° Lubumbashi: 11° | 27° Mbabane: 11° | 23° Maseru: 8° | 23° Antananarivo: 14° | 24° Lilongwe: 15° | 26° Maputo: 19° | 26° Windhoek: 12° | 27° Cape Town: 15° | 20° Durban: 16° | 24° Johannesburg: 15° | 24° Dar es Salaam: 24° | 32° Lusaka: 15° | 26° Harare: 12° | 26° Economic Indicators: Currency: GBP to NAD 23.01 | EUR to NAD 19.73 | CNY to NAD 2.51 | USD to NAD 18.15 | DZD to NAD 0.13 | AOA to NAD 0.02 | BWP to NAD 1.3 | EGP to NAD 0.38 | KES to NAD 0.14 | NGN to NAD 0.01 | ZMW to NAD 0.7 | ZWL to NAD 0.04 | BRL to NAD 3.55 | RUB to NAD 0.2 | INR to NAD 0.22 | USD to DZD 134.35 | USD to AOA 847.42 | USD to BWP 13.49 | USD to EGP 46.86 | USD to KES 130.48 | USD to NGN 1467 | USD to ZAR 18.15 | USD to ZMW 25.45 | USD to ZWL 321 | Stock Exchange: JSE All Share Index 79530.63 Up +0.03% | Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) Overall Index 1754.58 Up +0.81% | Casablanca Stock Exchange (CSE) MASI 13426.13 Up +0.11% | Egyptian Exchange (EGX) 30 Index 26142.84 Up +3.27% | Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) DCI 9151.06 Same 0 | NSX: MTC 7.75 SAME | Anirep 8.99 SAME | Capricorn Investment group 17.34 SAME | FirstRand Namibia Ltd 49 DOWN 0.50% | Letshego Holdings (Namibia) Ltd 4.1 UP 2.50% | Namibia Asset Management Ltd 0.7 SAME | Namibia Breweries Ltd 31.49 UP 0.03% | Nictus Holdings - Nam 2.22 SAME | Oryx Properties Ltd 12.1 UP 1.70% | Paratus Namibia Holdings 11.99 SAME | SBN Holdings 8.45 SAME | Trustco Group Holdings Ltd 0.48 SAME | B2Gold Corporation 47.34 DOWN 1.50% | Local Index closed 677.62 UP 0.12% | Overall Index closed 1534.6 DOWN 0.05% | Osino Resources Corp 19.47 DOWN 2.41% | Commodities: Gold US$ 2 414.72/OZ UP +1.55% | Copper US$ 5.04/lb UP +4.12% | Zinc US$ 3 059.30/T UP 0.11% | Brent Crude Oil US$ 84.28/BBP UP +0.60% | Platinum US$ 1 084.88/OZ UP +2.19%