Moshilando shinene shomalipyakidilo Nairobi omwa kala okangudu kovamati vehe na omalukalwa opo hava di, onghalamwenyo omo va li oya yooloka filu filu konghalamweno iwa efiloshisho okeumbo. Efiku keshe ohave li tambula ko li li ngaashi li li. Ongula yefiku limwe, ovamati ava va penduka tava yalulula nokutonya oyiinda yavo polupanda olo litalala opo hava nangala. Ova shakala omundilo noimbodi opo va xuxumukwe. Mongudu yovamati omwa li umwe ha ifanwa Magozwe. Ye oye a li munini kuvakwao.
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.
Ovakulunhu vaMagozwe ova mana oweenda wavo manga a li e na omido nanho. Magozwe okwa ya a ka kale puxekulu. Omulumenhu ou kakwa li e na efiloshisho naMagozwe. Ye ihe mu pe oikulya ya wana. Okwa li he mu longifa oilonga ihapu yo oidjuu.
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 ngeenge ta ngongota ile a pula sha, xekulu ohe mu denge, Ngeenge Magozwe okwa pula ngee ota dulu okuya kofikola xekulu ohe mu denge ndee ta ti, “Ove elai ito ke lihonga sha mofikola.” Konima yeedula nhatu e li monghalo ei, Magozwe okwa shuuka po puxekulu, ndele ta kala momandavanda.
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.
Onghalo yomomapandavanda oya li idjuu, vahapu vovamati ava ova li tava xupu shokadila kombinga yoikulya keshe efiku. Peemhito dimwe ohava kwatwa po, omafimbo amwe ova dengwa. Ngeenge tava vele kape na ou te va kwafele. Ongudu ei oya li hai xupu moumaliwa vanini va ehelwa nomokulandifa oinailona nomoinima oyo ya ekelwa shi hai dulu okulongululwa vali. Onghalamwenyo oya li idjuu neenghono, molwaashi omwa li eengudu tadi lwifafana opo di kwate ko oitukulwa yomoshilando.
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.
Efiku limwe manga Magozwe a li ta hade mendoloma loimbodi, okwe litwa mo okambo kouhokololo ka kaka ko oka kulupa. Okwe ka wapaleka omakako, ndele te ka tula moshako. Keshe efiku okwa kala he ka kufa mo moshako ndele ta tale omafano, molwaashi ka li e shii okulesha.
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.
[TRANSLATION]: Ehokololo ola li tali popi kombinga yomumati oo a kula ndele ta ningi omushingidila. Magozwe okwa kala he litungile ouumbo ngeno oye a ninge omushingidila. Omafimbo amwe ohe lihalele ngeno a kale oye a li omumati oo a popiwa mehokololo.
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.
Okwa li kwa talala naMagozwe okwa li a fikama pomunghulo wondjila ta ehela. Omulumenhu umwe okwa enda a yuka kuye. Ndele ta ti: “Halo! aame Thomas. Ohandi longo popepi opo, ponhele opo oto dulu okumona po oikulya, omulumenhu osho a ti. Okwa ulika ketungo loluvala lishunga li na oipeleki imbulau.”Onde lineekela oto ka ya ko ngaho u ka pewe oikulya?.” Omulumenhu te mu pula. Magozwe okwa tala komulumenhu nokonima ta tale keumbo, “Eheeno shiimba” Magozwe ta nyamukula ndele ta pilamene ko.
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.
Meemwedi da shikula ko ongudu yovamati vehe na omalukalwa ova ka ikilila okumona Thomas momundingonoko. Okwa li e hole okupopya novanhu unene tuu ovo hava di momapandavanda. Thomas e hole okupwilikina omahokololo eenghalamwenyo dovanhu. Okwa li omunandjungu nomulididimiki, iha ngwadjaula ovanhu ye oku na efimaneko novanhu. Ovamati vamwe ova hovela okuya keumbo loluvala lishunga loipeleki imbulau va ka lye omusha pefimbo lomutenya.
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 okwa li e li omutumba polupanda ta tale omafano mokambo eshi Thomas e uya ndele ta kala omutumba puye. “Ehokololo otali popi kombinga yashike?” Thomas ta pula. “Otali popi kombinga yomumati a ninga omushingidila,” Magozwe ta nyamukula .Edina lomumati olye?” Thomas ta pula.” “Kandi li shii, ame kandi shii okulesha” Magozwe ta nyamukula nengungumano.
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.
Eshi va shakena, Magozwe okwa tameka oku hokololela Thomas kombinga yonghalamwenyo yaye. Ehokololo laye okwa li ta popi kombinga yaxekulu nomolwashike she mu shuula mo meumbo. Thomas ina popya sha shihapu, ye ina lombwela Magozwe osho shi na okuningwa po, ashike okwa pwilikine e litula mo Omafimbo amwe ohava kundafana pefimbo tava li meumbo loipeleki imbulau.
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.
Pedalo laMagozwe eshi a wanifa eedula omulongo, Thomas okwe mu pa okambo kouhokololo. Omwa li okahokololo taka popi kombinga yomumati a kulila komukunda, ndele ta ka ninga omudanitanga a fimana. Thomas okwa leshela Mazogwe okahokololo oikando ihapu fiyo efiku limwe e mu lombwela ta ti “ondi wete efimbo ola fika opo uye kofikola ove u ke lihonge okulesha. Oto diladila ngahelipi?” Thomas okwa yelifila kutya oku shi onhele imwe opo hapa dulu okukala ounona, vo tava i kofikola.
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.
Mazogwe okwa li ta dilaadila onhele ei ipe nokombinga yokuya kofikola. Pamwe xekulu okwa li e li mondjila eshi a tile ye elai ite ke lihonga sha kofikola? Pamwe otave ke mu denga ngeenge a i monhele ei ipe? Okwa li a tila. “Shiimba oshi li vali xwepo okukala momapandavanda.” Osho a diladila..
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.
Okwa holola oumbada waye kuThomas. Efimbo nefimbo Thomas okwe mu kwashilipaleka kutya onghalamwenyo otai dulu kala iwa konhele ipe.
He shared his fears with Thomas. Over time the man reassured the boy that life could be better at the new place.
Okudja opo Magozwe okwa ya monduda ipe meumbo loipeleki i ingelina. Monduda ova li novamati vavali. Meumbo omwa li ounona aveshe kumwe ova li omulongo. Ova li mo naMeme Cissy, omushamane waye, eembwa nhatu, okambishi, noshikombo sha kulupa.
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 osho a hovele ofikola, ashike okwa li shidjuu kuye. Okwa li a pitililwa kushihapu neenghono. Omafimbo amwe okwa li hala okufya ounye. Ashike okwa li ha diladila kombinga yomushingidila nomudanitanga ovo va hokololwa mokambo kouhokololo. Ngaashi naanaa vo, ina fya ounye.
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 okwa li e li omutumba moluumbo keumbo loluvala lishunga noipeleki lingelina, ta lesha okambo kouhokololo a dja nako kofikola. Thomas okwe ya ndele ta kala omutumba ponghulo naye. “Okambo ota ka popi kombinga yashike?” Thomas ta pula. “Otaka popi kombinga yomumati a ninga omulongifikola.” Magozwe ta nyamukula. “Omumati oye lye?” Thomas ta pula. “Edina laye olo Magozwe.” Magozwe ta nyamukula nelimemesho.
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.
