Gbekɛbii hii kobɔlɔi komɛi hi shi yɛ Nairobi maŋ lɛ mli heko banee. Amɛbɛ ninaa ko kɛha nɔyaa, jetsɛremɔ gbɛ kɛkɛ amɛ kpaa. Leebi ko lɛ, oblahii nɛɛ miikota amɛ sai kɛjɛ kpo nɔ ŋanii lɛ, he ni amɛwɔ lɛ. Bɔ ni afee ni fɛi akaye amɛ fe nine lɛ, amɛsha jwɛi kɛfee kɔɔyɔɔ lɛ mli kulɔɔ. Gbekɛbii hii lɛ ateŋ mɔ kome ji Magozwe. Lɛ ji gbekɛ kwraa ni yɔɔ amɛ teŋ.
In the busy city of Nairobi, far away from a caring life at home, lived a group of homeless boys. They welcomed each day just as it came.
On one morning, the boys were packing their mats after sleeping on cold pavements. To chase away the cold they lit a fire with rubbish.
Among the group of boys was Magozwe. He was the youngest.
Be ni Magozwe fɔlɔi shi jeŋ lɛ, eye afi enumɔ pɛ. Ekɛ etsɛkwɛ yahi shi. Nuu nɛɛ kwɛɛɛ gbekɛ lɛ jogbaŋŋ. Ehaaa Magozwe niyenii jogbaŋŋ. Ehani gbekɛ lɛ tsu nii deŋdeŋ.
When Magozwe’s parents died, he was only five years old. He went to live with his uncle. This man did not care about the child. He did not give Magozwe enough food. He made the boy do a lot of hard work.
Kɛji Magozwe wie nitsumɔ lɛ he lɛ, etsɛkwɛ lɛ yiɔ lɛ. Be ni Magozwe bi etsɛkwɛ lɛ kɛji ebaanyɛ eya skul lɛ, etsɛkwɛ lɛ yi lɛ ni ekɛɛ, “Olu tsɔ kɛha nɔ ko kasemɔ.” Afii etɛ sɛɛ lɛ, Magozwe nyɛɛɛ nyafimɔ nɛɛ dɔŋŋ hewɔ lɛ ejo foi kɛjɛ etsɛkwɛ lɛ ŋɔ. Eyabɔi gbɛjegbɛ lɛ nɔ hii.
If Magozwe complained or questioned, his uncle beat him. When Magozwe asked if he could go to school, his uncle beat him and said, “You’re too stupid to learn anything.”
After three years of this treatment Magozwe ran away from his uncle. He started living on the street.
Gbɛjegbɛ lɛ nɔ shihilɛ wa naakpa. Gbekɛbii hii lɛ gboɔ deŋme dani amɛ naa niyenii. Bei komɛi lɛ amɔmɔɔ amɛ ni bei komɛi lɛ ayiɔ amɛ. Kɛji amɛheye lɛ, mɔ ko bɛ ni yeɔ buaa amɛ. Shika ni amɛnaa kɛjɛɔ nibaa mli kɛ nibii bibii hɔɔmɔ mli lɛ ni amɛkɛlɛɔ amɛ he. Kui krokomɛi ni miitao amɛye amɛ nɔ kɛ amɛbanɔɔ. Enɛ haa ni shihilɛ lɛ mli waa diɛŋtsɛ.
Street life was difficult and most of the boys struggled daily just to get food. Sometimes they were arrested, sometimes they were beaten. When they were sick, there was no one to help.
The group depended on the little money they got from begging, and from selling plastics and other recycling.
Life was even more difficult because of fights with rival groups who wanted control of parts of the city.
Gbi ko be ni Magozwe miikwɛ jwɛi tsɛnsi lɛ mli lɛ, ena adesa wolo momo ko. Etsumɔ wolo lɛ he muji lɛ, ni ekɛ wolo lɛ wo ekotoku lɛ mli. Kɛjɛ nakai gbi lɛ, daa nɛɛ lɛ ekɔɔ wolo lɛ ni ekwɛɔ mfonii ni yɔɔ mli lɛ. Eleee bɔ ni akaneɔ emli wiemɔi lɛ.
One day while Magozwe was looking through the dustbins, he found an old tattered storybook. He cleaned the dirt from it and put it in his sack.
Every day after that he would take out the book and look at the pictures. He did not know how to read the words.
Mfoniri lɛ wieɔ gbekɛ nuu ko ni ebatsɔ kɔɔyɔɔŋ lɛlɛ kudɔlɔ. Shwane fintiŋŋ po ankamafiolaa ni eji kɔɔyɔɔŋ lɛlɛ kudɔlɔ. Bei komɛi lɛ, enaa ehe akɛ lɛ ji gbekɛ nuu niyɔɔ adesa lɛ mli lɛ.
The pictures told the story of a boy who grew up to be a pilot.
Magozwe would daydream of being a pilot. Sometimes, he imagined that he was the boy in the story.
Je lɛ mli ejɔ ŋanii ni Magozwe damɔ gbɛjegbɛ lɛ he eeba shika. Nuu ko nyiɛ banina lɛ ni ekɛɛ, “Helo, atsɛɔ mi Tɔmas, mitsuɔ nii yɛ biɛ nɔɔŋ, yɛ he ni obaana niyenii ni oye.” Etsɔɔ lɛ shia ko ni asha he wuɔfɔ ni abu yiteŋ kɛ ziŋle bluu. “Miheɔ miyeɔ akɛ obaaya na niyenii yɛ jɛmɛ?” ekɛɛ. Magozwe kwɛ nuu lɛ, ni ekwɛ shia lɛ, ni ekɛɛ, “Ekolɛ,” kɛkɛ ni eho etee.
It was cold and Magozwe was standing on the road begging. A man walked up to him. “Hello, I’m Thomas. I work near here, at a place where you can get something to eat,” said the man.
He pointed to a yellow house with a blue roof. “I hope you will go there to get some food?” he asked.
Magozwe looked at the man, and then at the house. “Maybe,” he said, and walked away.
Nyɔji babaoo sɛɛ lɛ, gbekɛbii hii kobɔlɔi nɛɛ bayɔse Tɔmas jogbaŋŋ. Esumɔɔ mɛi kɛwiemɔ, titri mɛi ni yɔɔ gbɛjegbɛ lɛ nɔ. Tɔmas bo mɛi awala mli saji toi. Ehiɛ ka shi ni eyɛ mɛi ahetsui, enyafiii mɔ ni ebuɔ mɔ. Gbekɛbii lɛ ekomɛi bɔi shia ni asha he wuɔfɔ kɛ bluu lɛ mli yaa kɛha amɛ shwane niyenii.
Over the months that followed, the homeless boys got used to seeing Thomas around. He liked to talk to people, especially people living on the streets.
Thomas listened to the stories of people’s lives. He was serious and patient, never rude or disrespectful. Some of the boys started going to the yellow and blue house to get food at midday.
Magozwe ta shi eekwɛ mfoniri wolo lɛ mli kɛkɛ ni Tɔmas bata emasɛi. “Mɛni adesa lɛ kɛɔ?” Tɔmas bi lɛ. “Ekɔɔ gbekɛ nuu ko ni batsɔ etsɔ kɔɔyɔɔŋ lɛlɛ kudulɔ ko he,” Magozwe here lɛ nɔ. “Mɛni ji gbekɛ nuu lɛ gbɛi?” Tɔmas bi lɛ. “Mileee, mileee bɔ ni akaneɔ nii,” Akamafio wie blɛoo.
Magozwe was sitting on the pavement looking at his picture book when Thomas sat down next to him.
“What is the story about?” asked Thomas.
“It’s about a boy who becomes a pilot,” replied Magozwe.
“What’s the boy’s name?” asked Thomas.
“I don’t know, I can’t read,” said Magozwe quietly.
Be ni amɛkpe lɛ, Magozwe bɔi lɛ diɛŋtsɛ ehe sane gbaa kɛtsɔɔ Tɔmas. Egba lɛ etsɛkwɛ lɛ he sane kɛ bɔ ni ejo foi kɛjɛ eŋɔ. Tɔmas ewieee tsɔ ni ekɛɛɛ Magozwe nɔ ni efee hu shi ebo lɛ toi jogbaŋŋ. Bei komɛi lɛ amɛgbaa sane be ni amɛyeɔ nii yɛ shia ni akɛ ziŋle bluu ebu yiteŋ lɛ.
When they met, Magozwe began to tell his own story to Thomas. It was the story of his uncle and why he ran away.
Thomas didn’t talk a lot, and he didn’t tell Magozwe what to do, but he always listened carefully.
Sometimes they would talk while they ate at the house with the blue roof.
Be ni Magozwe ye efɔmɔ gbijurɔ ni ji nyɔŋma lɛ, Tɔmas ha lɛ adesa wolo hee ko. Adesa ni yɔɔ wolo lɛ mli lɛ wieɔ akrowa gbekɛ nuu ko ni da ni ebatsɔ bɔɔlutswalɔ kpanaa ko he. Tɔmas kane adesa lɛ etsɔɔ Magozwe bei saŋŋ kɛyashi gbi ko ni ekɛɛ, “Efeɔ mi akɛ eshɛ be ni obaaya skul ni oyakase bɔ ni akaneɔ nii. Te osusuɔ tɛŋŋ?” Tɔmas gbala mli akɛ ele he ko ni gbekɛbii baahi shi yɛ kɛya skul.
Around Magozwe’s tenth birthday, Thomas gave him a new storybook. It was a story about a village boy who grew up to be a famous soccer player.
Thomas read that story to Magozwe many times, until one day he said, “I think it’s time you went to school and learned to read. What do you think?” Thomas explained that he knew of a place where children could stay, and go to school.
Magozwe thought about this new place, and about going to school. What if his uncle was right and he was too stupid to learn anything?
What if they beat him at this new place? He was afraid. “Maybe it is better to stay living on the street,” he thought.
Ekɛɛ Tɔmas enaagba nɛɛ. Daa gbi lɛ nuu nɛɛ woɔ gbekɛ nuu nɛɛ hewalɛ akɛ shihilɛ yɛ shihilɛhe hee lɛ baahi fe he ni eyɔɔ lɛ.
He shared his fears with Thomas. Over time the man reassured the boy that life could be better at the new place.
Enɛ hewɔ lɛ Akamafio fa eyahi tsu ko mli yɛ shia ni abu yi eŋɔli lɛ. Ekɛ gbekɛbii enyɔ komɛi ni hi tsu lɛ mli. Gbekɛbii nyɔŋma ni yɔɔ shia lɛ mli. Kɛfata amɛ he lɛ, Nyɛkwɛ Sisi kɛ ewu, gbeei etɛ, alɔnte kome kɛ abotia momo ko hu hi shia lɛ mli.
And so Magozwe moved into a room in a house with a green roof. He shared the room with two other boys.
Altogether there were ten children living at that house. Along with Auntie Cissy and her husband, three dogs, a cat, and an old goat.
Magozwe bɔi skul yaa. Nikasemɔ lɛ wa naakpa ejaakɛ nibii pii yɛ ni kpaako ebaakase. Bei komɛi lɛ enijiaŋ jeɔ wui. Shi esusuɔ kɔɔyɔɔŋ lɛlɛ kudɔlɔ kɛ bɔɔlotswalɔ lɛ ni ekane amɛ sane yɛ adesa wolo lɛ mli lɛ ahe. Tamɔ amɛ fee lɛ, lɛ hu enijiaŋ ejeee wui.
Magozwe started school and it was difficult. He had a lot to catch up. Sometimes he wanted to give up.
But he thought about the pilot and the soccer player in the storybooks. Like them, he did not give up.
Magozwe ta yale lɛ mli yɛ shia ni abuyi eŋɔli lɛ mli eekane adesa wolo ni ekɛjɛ skul lɛ. Tɔmas bata emasɛi kpaakpa. “Mɛni adesa lɛ kɛɔ?” Tɔmas bi. “Ekɔɔ gbekɛ nuu ko ni batsɔ tsɔɔlɔ he,” Magozwe here nɔ. “Mɛni ji gbekɛ lɛ gbɛi?” Tɔmas bi. “Egbɛi ji Magozwe,” Magozwe kɛɛ ni eŋmɔ mugɛɛ.
Magozwe was sitting in the yard at the house with the green roof, reading a storybook from school. Thomas came up and sat next to him.
“What is the story about?” asked Thomas.
“It’s about a boy who becomes a teacher,” replied Magozwe.
“What’s the boy’s name?” asked Thomas.
“His name is Magozwe,” said Magozwe with a smile.
