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Imbuto Ntoya: Inkuru ya Wangari Maathai A Tiny Seed: The Story of Wangari Maathai Mbegu Ndogo: Hadithi ya Wangari Maathai

Written by Nicola Rijsdijk

Illustrated by Maya Marshak

Translated by Patrick Munyurangabo

Language Kinyarwanda

Level Level 3

Narrate full story The audio for this story is currently not available.


Mu igiturage mu imberama z’umusozi wa Kenya muri Afrika y’iburengerazuba, agakobwa gato kakoraga mu mirima na nyina we. Izina rye ryari Wangari.

In a village on the slopes of Mount Kenya in East Africa, a little girl worked in the fields with her mother. Her name was Wangari.

Katika kijiji kimoja kwenye mteremko wa Mlima wa Kenya, katika Afrika Mashariki, msichana mdogo alifanya kazi za shambani pamoja na mama yake. Msichana huyu aliitwa Wangari.


Wangari yakundaga kuba hanze. Mu umurima w’umuryango we yarimaga ubutaka n’umuhoro we. Yasunikaga imbuto ntoya mu ubutaka.

Wangari loved being outside. In her family’s food garden she broke up the soil with her machete. She pressed tiny seeds into the warm earth.

Wangari alipenda kufanya kazi za nje. Alitumia jembe kulima katika bustani ya familia yake. Kisha alipanda mbegu ndogo katika ardhi yenye rutuba.


Igihe cy’umunsi yishimira cyane ni nyuma y’izuba rirenze. Iyo bwiraga bigoye kubona ibihingwa, Wangari yamenyaga ko ari igihe cyo kujya murugo. Yakurikiraga inzira zifunganye mu mirima, akambukiranya imigenzi agenda.

Her favourite time of day was just after sunset. When it got too dark to see the plants, Wangari knew it was time to go home. She would follow the narrow paths through the fields, crossing rivers as she went.

Alipenda majira ya jioni, wakati jua linapozama. Giza lilipozidi mpaka aliposhindwa kuona mimea, Wangari alifahamu kuwa wakati wa kwenda nyumbani uliwadia. Alikuwa anafuata kinjia chembamba kilichopita uwanjani huku akivuka mito akielekea nyumbani.


Wangari yari umwana w’umuhanga kandi niyari gutegereza kujya ku ishuli. Ariko ninya na se we bashakaga ko aguma aho akabafasha murugo. Ubwo yarafite imyaka irindwi, musaza we mukuru yatoteje ababyeyi be ngo bamureke ajye kw’ishuli.

Wangari was a clever child and couldn’t wait to go to school. But her mother and father wanted her to stay and help them at home. When she was seven years old, her big brother persuaded her parents to let her go to school.

Wangari alikuwa mtoto mwerevu na alikuwa na hamu ya kwenda shule. Lakini wazazi wake walitaka awasaidie nyumbani. Alipofika umri wa miaka saba, kaka yake aliwashawishi wazazi wake kumwacha aende shule.


Yakundaga kwiga! Wangari yarize byinshi na byinshi muri buri gitabo yasomaga. Yakoze neza kw’ishuli bamutumira kwiga muri Leta zunzububwe z’America. Wangari yari yishimye! Yashakaga kumanya byinshi na byinshi ku isi.

She liked to learn! Wangari learnt more and more with every book she read. She did so well at school that she was invited to study in the United States of America. Wangari was excited! She wanted to know more about the world.

Alipenda kusoma! Wangari alijifunza zaidi na zaidi kwa kila kitabu alichokisoma. Alifanya vyema sana shuleni hadi akaalikwa kwenda Marekani kuendeleza masomo yake huko. Wangari alitiwa hamasa sana na nafasi hii! Alipenda kujua ulimwengu zaidi.


Kuri kaminuza y’America Wangari yamenye ibintu byinshi bishya. Yize ibihingwa nuko bikura. Kandi yibutse uko yakuze: akina imikino na basaza be mu gicucu k’ibiti mu mashyamba meza yamanyakenya.

At the American university Wangari learnt many new things. She studied plants and how they grow. And she remembered how she grew: playing games with her brothers in the shade of the trees in the beautiful Kenyan forests.

Alipokuwa chuoni huko Marekani, Wangari alijifunza mengi mapya. Alisomea mimea na jinsi inavyokua. Na alikumbuka maisha yake yalivyokuwa utotoni: kucheza michezo na msitu zake katika kivuli cha miti kwenye misitu maridadi ya Kenya.


Uko yamenyaga byinshi, niko yarushagaho kumenya uko akunda abantu ba Kenya. Yashaka ko bishima bakanigenga.

The more she learnt, the more she realised that she loved the people of Kenya. She wanted them to be happy and free. The more she learnt, the more she remembered her African home.

Jinsi alivyojifunza ndivyo alivyofahamu kuwa aliwapenda watu wa Kenya. Alitaka wafurahi na wawe wenye uhuru. Jinsi alivyojifunza ndivyo alivyokumbuka nyumbani kwao Afrika.


Ubwo yarangizaga amasomo ye, yagarutse muri Kenya. Ariko igihugu cye cyari cyarahindutse. Imirima minini yari ihurutuye k’ubutaka. Abagore ntibari bafite inkwi zo gutekesha. Abantu bari abakene n’abana bari bashonje /inzara.

When she had finished her studies, she returned to Kenya. But her country had changed. Huge farms stretched across the land. Women had no wood to make cooking fires. The people were poor and the children were hungry.

Alipokamilisha masomo yake, alirudi Kenya. Lakini nchi yake ilikuwa imebadilika. Kulikuwa na mashamba makubwa kila upande. Wanawake hawakupata kuni za kuwasha moto wa kupikia. Watu walikuwa maskini na watoto walikuwa na njaa.


Wangari yarazi icyo gukora. Yigishije abagore uko batera ibiti kuva mu imbuto. Abagore bagurishaga ibiti bagakoresha amafara mukwita ku imiryango yabo. Abagore barishimye cyane. Wangari yari yabafashije kwiyunvamo imbaraga no gukomera.

Wangari knew what to do. She taught the women how to plant trees from seeds. The women sold the trees and used the money to look after their families. The women were very happy. Wangari had helped them to feel powerful and strong.

Wangari alijua la kufanya. Aliwafundisha wanawake jinsi ya kupanda miti kutokana na miche. Wanawake waliuza ile miti na pesa walizopata walizitumia kwa mahitaji ya familia zao. Wanawake walifurahi. Wangari alikuwa amewasaidia kuwa wenye nguvu na uwezo.


Uko igihe cyagiye, ibiti bishya byakuzemo ishyamba,n’imigezi itangira gutemba nanone. Ubutumwa bwa Wangari bwamenyekanye muri Afrika. Uyumunsi, amamiriyoni y’ibiti bimaze gukura kuva mu imbuto za Wangari.

As time passed, the new trees grew into forests, and the rivers started flowing again. Wangari’s message spread across Africa. Today, millions of trees have grown from Wangari’s seeds.

Muda ulipopita, miti mipya ilikuwa misitu, na mito ilianza tena kupitisha maji. Ujumbe wa Wangari ulienea Afrika nzima. Leo, mamilioni ya miti imemea kutokana na mbegu za Wangari.


Wangari yakoze cyane. Abantu kw’isi hose barabimenye, banamuha igihembo cyamamaye. Kitwa Nobel Peace Prize, ninawe mugore w’umunyafrika wambere ugihawe.

Wangari had worked hard. People all over the world took notice, and gave her a famous prize. It is called the Nobel Peace Prize, and she was the first African woman ever to receive it.

Wangari alikuwa amefanya bidii. Watu ulimwengu mzima walifahamu hili na wakampa tuzo. Tuzo hii inaitwa, ‘Tuzo ya Amani ya Nobel.’ Na alikuwa mwanamke wa Kiafrika wa kwanza kupokea tuzo hii.


Wangari yapfuye muri 2011, ariko twamutekerezaho buri gihe tubonye igiti kiza.

Wangari died in 2011, but we can think of her every time we see a beautiful tree.

Wangari alifariki mwaka 2011, lakini tunaweza kumkumbuka kila tunapoona mti maridadi.


Written by: Nicola Rijsdijk
Illustrated by: Maya Marshak
Translated by: Patrick Munyurangabo
Language: Kinyarwanda
Level: Level 3
Source: A Tiny Seed: The Story of Wangari Maathai from African Storybook
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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