Wɔ Nairobi sua kpole zo mɔɔ alagye ɛne ɛkɛ la, wↄ gua ne azo mↄↄ sua nu ndeteleɛ nee ehulɔlɛ ɛnle ɛkɛ la, ɛkɛ ne a ngakula nrenya ekpunle bie de a. Na bɛyɛ alehyenlɛ ko biala atuuu kɛzi ɔba ye biala la. Kenle ko nwonlomɔ, ɛnee ngakula nrenya ne mɔɔ ɛlɛye bɛ ɛkpa ne mɔɔ bɛlale zolɛ wɛ sɛmante ne azo wɔ ɛyɛlɛ ne anu la. Ɛyɛlɛ hunle bɛ na bɛzɔle senle bɛrɛlɛle bɛnwo. Magozwe boka ngakula mrenya εhye mɔ anwo. Ɔdaye a ɔle kakula wɔ bɛ nu a.
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.
Mekɛ mɔɔ Magozwe awovolɛ hale ɛleka bie la ɛnee ye nya ɛvolɛ nnu pɛ. Ɔhɔdenlanle ye wovonye anwo. Nrenya ɛhye amaa ɔnye angɔ kakula ne anwo kpalɛ. Aleɛ mɔɔ fa ɔmaa Magozwe la ɛnza ye di. Eza ɔmanle Magozwe yɛle egyima ɛsesebɛ dɔɔnwo.
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.
Saa Magozwe biza ye wovonye ne kpuya wɔ aleɛ ekyi nee egyima ɛsesebɛ dɔɔnwo mɔɔ ɔma ɔyɛ la anwo a ɛnee ɔlɛbo ye. Saa ɔka ɔkile ye wovonye ne kɛ ɔkulo kɛ ɔkɔ sukulu a ɛnee ɔlɛ boye na eza ɔka ɔtoa zo kɛ, “Ɛle koasea soma na ɛnrɛhola debia biala sukoa.” Ɛvolɛ nsa razenle hɔle wɔ zahae amaneε wunle ne anu la Magozwe angola ɛkɛ tɛnla na ɔnrandinle ɛhɔle. Na ɔbɔle ɔbo kɛ akee ɔda guazo.
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.
Guazo ɛbɛla bɔlɛ ne anu yɛle se kpalɛ manle ngakula ne mɔ na ngakula ne mɔ pelele dahuu biala kɛ bɛkɛnya bɛnloa aleɛ. Ɔdwu mekɛ ne bie bɔbɔ a bɛkye bɛ anzɛɛ bɛbobɛ. Awie biala ɛnle ɛkɛ mɔ saa bɛnwo to bɛ a ɔnea bɛ a. Ngakula mrenya ɛhye mɔ nyia bɛ ninyɛne mɔɔ bɛhyia la fi ezukoa mɔɔ bɛsɛzɛlɛ la anu, wolɔba ɛdonelɛ nee ninnyɛne mɔɔ ɔsɛkye a bɛsa bɛyɛye fofolɛ la anu. Ɛbɛlabɔlɛ ne anu yɛle se kpalɛ manle bɛ wↄ mekɛ mɔɔ konle bie zile eku nwiɔ bie mɔɔ ɛlɛ pele kɛ bɛsie suakpole ne la.
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.
Kenle ko bie mɔɔ ɛnee Magozwe ɛlɛnea bɔla kyɛnze ne anu la ɔnwunle buluku bie mɔɔ anwo ɛtete la kɛ ɔla nu na ɔvale. Ɔkyikyile nwolɛ evinli ne na ɔvale ɔdole ye kodoku ne anu. Dahuu biala saa ɔwie ye debie biala a ɔfa ye buluku ne na ɔnea nvonyinli ne mɔ mɔɔ wɔ nu la. Ɔnze kɛzi bɛkengaye a.
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.
Nvonyinli ne mɔɔ wɔɔ buluku ne anu la ka edwɛkɛ fane kakula nrenya bie mɔɔ ɔnyinle na ɔyεle anwuma ɛlɛne kavolɛ la. Magozwe dahuu ɔkunlu bie a anrɛɛ ɔle anwuma ɛlɛne kavolɛ. Mekɛ ne bie dwu a ɔnwu ɔnwo kɛ ɔdaye ale kakula ne mɔɔ wɔ adawu buluku ne anu la.
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.
Maanu yɛle ɛyɛlɛ na Magozwe ɛnee gyi adenle ne azo ɛlɛsɛzɛlɛ ezukoa. Nrenya bie hwenle bikyɛle ye. “Hallo, bɛfɛlɛ me Tɔmase. Meyɛ egyima wɔ ɛleka mↄ bɛtɔne aleɛ ne la,” nrenya ne hanle. Ɔdendenle ɔsa wɔɔ sua bie mɔɔ bɛhanwolɛ akɔlɛ ɛnlome na ye nduzo ne le buluwu la. “Melɛ anyeazo kɛ ɛbahɔ ɛkɛ waa dɔ aleɛ?” Tɔmase bizale ye. Magozwe nleanle Tɔmase na eza ɔnleanle sua ne. “Mekɛ ne dwu a,” ɔhanle na ɔhɔle.
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.
Wɔ siane fofolɛ ne anu, ngakula mrenya ne mↄ mɔɔ de gua zo la ta nwu Tɔmase kpalɛ. Tɔmase kulo menli adwɛleɛ ɛlilɛ titile menli mɔɔ de guazo. Tɔmase tie menli dɔɔnwo ɛbɛlabɔlɛ nu adawu. Ɔnva debie ɔni agole na ɔlɛ abotane eza ɔbu debie. Ngakula ne mɔɔ bie bɔle ɔbo kɛ bɛkɔ sua ne mɔɔ Tɔmase hilɛle bɛ la bɛadɔ aleɛ ewiazo.
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 de sɛmante ne azo ɛlɛnea nvonyinli ne mɔɔ wɔ buluku ne anu la yɛɛ Tɔmase radenlanle ɔnwo ɛkɛ ne a. “Duzu a adawu ne fane nwo a?” Tɔmase bizale ye. ”Ɔfane kakula nrenya bie mɔɔ ɔyɛle anwuma ɛlɛne kavolɛ la,” Magozwe buale ye. Tɔmase bizale ye kɛ, “Kɛ bɛfɛlɛ kakula nrenya ne ɛ?” Magozwe buale ya kɛ, “Menze ye duma, me ngola kenga.”
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.
Mekɛ mɔɔ beyale biako la Magozwe hanle ye ɛbɛlabɔlɛ nu adawu hilɛle Tɔmase. Adawu ne fane ye wonvonye nee debie ti mɔɔ ɔnrandinli la. Tɔmase dieɛle adawu ne wiɛle la yeandɛ ɛnloa nu, na yeanzuzu debie mɔɔ Magozwe ɛyɛ la yeangile ye noko akee ɛgyele ɔnzo na ɔdieɛle ye kpalɛ. Mekɛ ne bie dwu a bɛdi adwɛlɛ wɔ mekɛ mɔɔ bɛnloa wɔzo bɛlɛdi aleɛ wɔ sua ne mɔɔ Tɔmase hilɛle ye la anu.
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.
Tɔmase manle ye adawu buluku fofolɛ wɔ ye awolɛ kenle mɔ tɔ zo bulu la. Adawu buluku ne ka edwɛkɛ fane kakula nrenya bie mɔɔ ɔnyinli wɔ namule nu na ɔyɛle awie mɔɔ ye duma dɛlɛle hɛle moa wɔ bɔlo bɔlɛ nu a. Tɔmase gengale adawu buluku ne hilɛle Magozwe mekɛ dɔɔnwo, hɔkpulale mekɛ mɔɔ ɔhanle kɛ, “Mekɛ ɛdwu mɔɔ ɔwɔkɛ ɛkɔ sukulu na yesukoa ɛgengalɛ a.” Kɛzi ɛdwenle nwonlɛ ɛ? Tɔmase hɔle zolɛ hilɛle nu kɛ ɔze ɛleka mɔɔ ngakula kola tεnla kɔ sukulu a.
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 dwenlenle ɛleka fofolɛ ɛhye nee sukulu ɛhɔlɛ ne anwo. Asoo mɔ me wovonye hanle la kola yɛ nɔhalɛ ɔ, kɛ menle mbane kɛ menwɔzukoa debie biala ɔ? Asoo mekɔ ɛleka fofolɛ ɛhye na bɛbo me ɛ? Ye ahonle dule. “Asoo ɔbayɛ kpalɛ kɛ me kɛdenla me gua ye azo ɔ,” Ɔdwenlenle nwolɛ.
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.
Magozwe hanle ye ɛzulɛlɛ ne mɔɔ wɔ ye nu la ɔhilɛle Tɔmase. Tɔmase zile ɔkɛnra kɛ debie biala bayɛ kpalɛ wɔ ɛleka mɔɔ ɛkↄ la.
He shared his fears with Thomas. Over time the man reassured the boy that life could be better at the new place.
Magozwe dule hɔle sua kunlo ko wɔ sua bie mɔɔ ye nduzo ne le amunli la anu. Ɔnee ngakula mrenya nwiɔ bie ada sua ne anu a. Ngakula mɔɔ ɛnee de zↄhane awuke ne anu la amuala le bulu. Ɔmɔ Cissy ne ɔhu, ahwea nsa, kusu ko, yɛɛ abɔnkye ko noko wɔ awuke ne anu bie.
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 bɔle ye sukulu hɔlɛ ne abo, na ninyɛne nu yɛle se kpalɛ manle ye. Ɔlɛ ninnyɛne dɔɔnwo ɔsukoa. Mekɛ ne bie dwu a ɛnee ɔkulo kɛ ɔgyakyi sukulu ne. Noko akee ɔdwenlenle anwuma ɛlɛne kavolɛ ne nee bɔlo bↄlɛnli ne mɔ wɔ adawu buluku ne anu la. Ɔhakyele bɛ la, ɔhɔle sukulu ne.
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 ɛnee de yaade ne anu wɔ sua ne mɔɔ ye nduzo ne le amunli, na ɔlɛ kenga ye adawu buluku mɔɔ ɔne ye vi sukulu rale la. Tɔmase radɛnlanle ɔnwo ɛkɛ ne. “Duzu adawu a buluku ne ka fane nwonlɛ a?” Tɔmase bizale ye. “Ɔfane kakula nrenya bie mɔɔ ɔba yeayɛ kilehilevolɛ la,” Magozwe buale ye. “Kɛ bɛfɛlɛ kakula nrenya ne ɛ?” Tɔmase bizale ye. “Ye duma ale Magozwe,” Magozwe buale ye na ɔzelele.
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.
