Motjihuro otjinene tji tji nyangatara ihi oNairobi, kokure na imba overikende, pa turire otjimbumba tjovazandu ovehinaha. Ovo eyuva arihe aave ri yakura otja tji mari ya. Omuhuka omunene umwe, va ṱunine oupapu pu ve rara meṋe yondjira mombepera. Okuramba ombepera ovo va yakisa omuriro poviyaya. Mokati kovazandu mba mwa ri Magozwe. Eye ongwa ri omuṱiṱiṱiṱi.
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.
Magozwe wa ri nozombura ndano, ovanene ve tji va ṱa. Eye wa kakara pu na ongundwe. Omurumendu ngwi kari na konatja nomuatje ngwi kaparukaze. Eye kee mu pe ovikurya mbya yenene. Eye aa ungurisa okazandona nga oviungura ovizeu tjinene.
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.
Magozwe tji ma unauna poo tji ma pura omapuriro ongundwe aai mu tono. Magozwe tja pura ongundwe kutja ma yenene okuyenda ruṋe kosikore, ongundwe ai mu tono rukwao nu ai tja “Oove eyova okurihonga ngamwa otjiṋa.” Kombunda yozombura ndatu zomatjindiro omavi nga Magozwe wa hena okuzapo poyongundwe. Eye wa uta okukakara momivanda vyotjihuro.
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.
Ehupo romomivanda vyotjihuro ra ri ezeu nu ovazandu ovengi aave kondjo ouzeu okumuna ovikurya. Porumwe aave kamburwa, nu porumwe aave tonwa. Tji va vere kapa ri nomundu ngu me ve hungu. Otjimbumba hi aatji hupu koumariva mbwi mbwaave ningire na mokurandisa ozotite zoplastika noviṋa vyarwe mbi yenena okuungurisiwa rukwao. Omuinyo wa ri omuzeu tjinga aape kara novirwa pokati kovimbumba ovipirurasane mbi vanga okunyanda ouhona mominda vyorive vyotjihuro.
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.
Eyuva rimwe ngunda Magozwe ama natare motjikatinga, wa muna mo embo romahungi ekuru nda tauka nu rondova. Eye wa pukumuna indi embo nu e ri twa motjiyaṱu tje. Eyuva arihe kombunda yanao eye aa nana embo na tara imbi oviperendero. Eye kaa tjiwa okuresa.
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.
Oviperendero vye mu raera ohunga nomuzandu ngwa karira omutukise wozonḓera. Okutja eye otjaa zeri kutja arire uri omutukise wozonḓera. Porumwe eye ee risenginine kutja ongu ri omuzandu ngu ri mehungi ndo.
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.
Okwo kwa ri nombepera nu Magozwe wa kuramene meṋe yondjira ama ningire. Omurumendu rive wa wondja okuyenda ku ye. “Halo, owami Thomas. Mbi ungura popezu mba poruveze pu mo yenene okukarya po okaṋa,” omurumendu wa tja. Eye we mu urikira ondjuwo ongara yomututu omumburau. “Me zeri kutja mo i ngo u karye?” eye wa tja. Magozwe wa tara ingwi omurumendu nu kuzambo a tara ku indji ondjuwo. “Ngahino,” eye wa tja na kaenda okuzapo.
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.
Momieze mbya teza mbo, ovazandu imba ovehinaha va iririre okumuna Thomas. Thomas wa suverere okuhungira ku novandu, tjinene tjapo imba mbe kara momivanda vyovihuro. Thomas wa suverere okupuratena komahungi wominyo vyovandu. Eye wa ri nokuhina eṱako nu wa ri nomuretima, kari otjindandi poo omuhinandengero. Ovazandu tjiva va uta okuyenda kondjuwo ongara nomburau okukarya eriro momahatenya.
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 wa haamene meṋe yondjira ama tara embo re roviperendero indu Thomas tja kahaama meṋe ye. “Ehungi ohunga na tjike?” Thomas wa pura. “Ohunga nomuzandu ngwa karira omutukise wozonḓera,” Magozwe wa ziri. “Ena romuzandu otjikwaye?” Thomas wa pura. “Hi nakutjiwa, ami hi rese,” Magozwe wa ziri oupore.
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.
Tji va hakaena, Magozwe wa uta okuserekarera ehungi re ku Thomas. Oro ra ri ehungi ohunga nongundwe nokutja wa henisiwa itjike. Thomas kaa hungire tjinene, nu kaa raere Magozwe kutja nga tjite vi, nungwari aa puratene nombango. Porumwe aave serekarere ngunda amave ri pondjuwo yomututu omumburau.
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.
Magozwe tja tjita ozombura omurongo, Thomas we mu pa embo epe romahungi. Oro ra ri embo rehungi ndi mari kaenda ohunga nomuzandu wovirongo vyokozombanda ngwa karira onyose yotjimbere. Thomas wa resera Magozwe ehungi ndo potuingi, ngandu eyuva rimwe eye tja tja, “Ami me munu kutja oruveze rwa horo rwoye okuyenda kosikore nokukerihonga okuresa. Ove mo munu ko vi?” Thomas we mu handjaurira kutja eye ma tjiwa oruveze ovanatje pu ve kakara nokuhita osikore.
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 we ripura ohunga noruveze orupe ndwo, nokuyenda kosikore. Pe ri vi indu ndoovazu owami eyova okurihonga ngamwa otjiṋa otja imba ongundwandje pu ya heya? Kape nakuya ave ke ndji tona poruveze orupe indwi? Eye wa tira tjinene. “Ngahino ma rire nawa tji mba ṱokukara momivanda vyotjihuro uriri,” eye we ripura.
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.
Eye wa hepura ondira ye ku Thomas. Omurumendu ngwo aruhe ee mu pendaparisa nokutja omuinyo poruveze orupe ndwo mape ya au yenene okukarira omuwa.
He shared his fears with Thomas. Over time the man reassured the boy that life could be better at the new place.
Okutja Magozwe arire tja kahita metuwo ndi ri mondjuwo yomututu omungirine. Metuwo ndo aa kara pamwe novazandu ovakwao vevari. Avehe kumwe vari ovanatje omurongo mbaave kara mondjuwo ndjo. Ovo aave kara pamwe na Auntie Cissy, omurumendu we, ozombwa ndatu, okambihi nongombo omukurukaze.
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 wa uta okuhita osikore, nungwari pa ri opopazeu. Eye wa serwe kombunda. Porumwe eye aa vanga okuisa osikore, nungwari otjee ripura na ingwi omutukise wozonḓera nonyose yotjimbere mbe ri momambo we womahungi. Otja wo eye kayarukire ombunda wina.
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 wa haamene pomurungu wondjuwo indji yomututu omungirine, ama rese embo romahungi rosikore. Thomas we ya mbo na haama meṋe ye. “Ehungi ohunga na tjike?” Thomas wa pura. “Ohunga nomuzandu ngwa karira omiṱiri,” Magozwe wa tja. “Ena romuzandu otjikwaye?” Thomas wa pura. “Ena re oMagozwe,” Magozwe wa ziri ama meṱameṱa.
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.
