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Kambewu: Nkhani ya Wangari Maathai A Tiny Seed: The Story of Wangari Maathai Ulubuto Lunoono: Ilyashi lya pali Wangari Maathai

Written by Nicola Rijsdijk

Illustrated by Maya Marshak

Translated by Gridon Mwale

Read by Christine Mwanza

Language Nyanja

Level Level 3

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


M’mudzi wina womangidwa pamatero a phiri la Kenya Kum’mawa kwa Africa, kamtsikana kakang’ono kamagwira nchito m’munda ndi amai ake.Dzina lake anali 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.

Mu mushi waba mumbali ya lupili lwa Kenya ku kabanga mu Africa, umukashana umwaice aalebomba na banyina mwibala. Ishina lyakwe aali ni Wangari.


Wangari amakonda kucezera pabwalo. Wangari anagaula mudimba mwao nabzyala tumbewu mnthaka yomwe inali yothuma .

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 alitemenwe ukusangwa panse. Aaleimbaula umushili no lupanga mwibala lyabo. Aabyele utuseke utunoono mu mushili wakabilila.


Nthawi imene anali kukonda kwambiri mtsikanayu tsiku lirironse inali pamene dzuwa itangolowa kumene. Ndipo mdima ukagwira cakuti zomera zamthengo zaleka kuoneka, Wangari anali kudziwa kuti nthawi yopita kunyumba yafika tsopano. Ndipo popita kunyumba anali kudzera njira zang’ombe, kuwoloka mitsinje ndi kudutsa minda mpaka kufika kwao.

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.

Inshita aatemwishishe ya cungulo lilya akasuba kaawa. Wangari aaleinukafye nga cakuti kwafiita saana icakuti umuntu tekuti amone ifimenwa. Pakuya aaleepita mu kashila katondo mu mabala no kuciluka imimana.


Wangari anali mwana wocenjera kwambiri ndipo anali wofunitsitsa kupita kusukulu kukaphunzira. Koma makolo ake sanafune kuti kamtsikana aka kaphunzire koma kazikhala pa nyumba ndi kugwira ncthito. Pamene Wangari anali ndi zaka 7, mukulu wake wamwamuna anagonjetsa makolo awo pokambirana kuti Wangari apite kusukulu akaphunzire.

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 aali mwana uwacenjela kabili aaleefwaisha ukuya ku sukulu. Nomba bawishi na banyina baaleefwaya ukuti aleikalafye pa ŋanda no kubaafwa imilimo. Ilyo aafikile pa myaka yakufyalwa cine-lubali, ndume yakwe umukalamba aalandile na bafyashi basuka basuminisha Wangari ukuya ku sukulu.


Wangari anakonda kuphunzira kwambiri motero kuti anaphunzira kopitirira kupyolera mkuwerenga mabuku osiyana-siyana. Ndipo anakhoza kwambiri pa sukulu motero kuti anapeza umwayi wokaphunzira ku dziko lakutali la United States of America. Wangari anasangalala kwambiri cifukwa anali kufunitsitsa kudziwa zambiri zapa dziko lapansi.

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.

Aalitemenwe ukusambilila! Muli lyonse ibuuku aleebelenga aleesambililamo ifipya. Aalibombele bwino saana mu masambililo icakuti baalimwitile ukuya mu kusambilila ku caalo ca United States of America. Wangari aatemenwe icibi! Aaleefwaya ukwishibilapo ifingi pesonde.


Wangari anaphunzira zinthu zambiri pamene anali pa American Univeziti. Anaphunzira pa zomera ndi mumene zimakulira. Zimenezi zinamukumbutsa mumene anali kusewerera ndi abale ake mthunzi ya mitengo mthengo laku-dziko lokongola la Kenya.

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.

Wangari aalisambiliile ifintu ifingi ifipya pa sukulu lyapa muulu mu America. Aasambilile palwa fimenwa nefyo fikula. Aaleibukisha nefyo aaleekula: ukwangala ifyangalo na bandume yakwe mu cintelelwe ca miti ya mpanga iisuma mu Kenya.


Pamene anali kuphunzira tsiku ndi tsiku anazindikira kuti akonda anthu akwao ku Kenya. Anali kufuna kuti anthu kudziko limeneli tsiku lina akapate ufulu ndi mtendere. Ndipo anayewa dziko lakwao pamene anapitiriza ndi maphunziro. Ake kwakanthawi.

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.

Ilyo aaleeya aleesambilila, aatampile ukwiluka pafyo aatemenwe abantu bamu caalo ca Kenya. Aaleefwaya ukuti babe ne nsansa no buntungwa. Cilya aleeya alesambilila, ukufuluka ku mwabo ku Africa nako kwalekulilako.


Anabwerera kudziko lakwao ku Kenya pamane anamaliza maphunziro ake ndipo nthawi imeneyi dziko la Kenya linali litasintha. Mapulazi akuluakulu anatenga malo ochuluka. Azimai anali kusowa kotheba nkhuni cifukwa mitengo kunalibe. Anthu anali osauka ndipo ana anali kuoneka anjala.

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.

Panuma yakupwisha amasambililo, aabwelele ku Kenya. Nomba aasangile icaalo cakwe calicinja. Kwali amabala ayakulu nganshi panga yonse. Banamaayo tabaakwete inkuni sha kukosesha umulilo. Abantu baali abapiina abaana nabo baali ne nsala.


Wangari anali kudziwa cofunika kucita kuti athetsa mabvuto amenewa: anaphunzitsa azimai kubzyala mitengo kucokera kumbewu. Azimai amenewa anayamba kugulitsa mitengo zao zitakula ndikupeza ndalama zosamalira ma banja awo. Cifukwa cacimenechi azimai anakhala wokondwera kwambiri ndi Wangari amene anawa thandiza kuti akhale ndi mphanvu komanso olimba.

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 aalishibe ifyakucita. Aafundile banamaayo ifyakubyala imiti ukubomfya imbuto. Banamaayo baalishitishe imiti no kubomfya ulupiya mu kusunga indupwa shabo. Banamaayo balitemenwe nganshi. Wangari alyafwile abantu ukumfwa ukuti nabo baali na maka kabili abakosa.


Patapita zaka zambiri, mitengo imene inabzyalidwa ija, inakula ndi ku panga thengo. Mitsinje inayambanso kukhala ndi madzi. Mbiri ya Wangari inafika ponseponse mu Africa. Lerolino, mitengo yamitundu-mitundu mamiryoni tirkuonayi inacokera ku mbewu ya 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.

Mu kuya kwa nshiku, imiti iipya yalikulile no kusanguka impanga, na meenshi mu mimana yatampile ukupita. Imbila yakwa Wangari yalisalangene mu Africa yonse. Pali Ieelo, imiti imintapendwa yaalikula ukufuma ku mbuto shakwa Wangari.


Wangari anasewenzadi mwamphanvu. Motero kuti anthu dziko lonse lapnansi anazindikira nchito yaikula yomwe anacita, ndipo anapatsidwa mphoto yodziwika kwambiri padziko lonse lapansi. Mphoto imeneyi inali kuchedwa kuti Kulemekezedwa ndi Mtendere (Nobel Peace Prize) Chingerezi, ndipo anakhala mkazi woyamba mu Africa kulandira mphoto yotero.

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 alibombeshe saana. Abantu isonde lyonse balyumfwile pa milimo yakwe no kumupeela icilambu icaishibikwa saana. Baaciita ukuti Nobel Peace Prize mu Cingeleshi, emukuti Icilambu ca Cibote, kabili ewali namaayo uwantanshi mu Africa ukupoka ici cilambu.


Wangari anamwalira mu caka ca 2011, koma timamukumbukira tikamaona mtengo wokongola uliwonse mthengo.

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

Wangari afwile mu mwaka wa 2011, lelo kuti twamwibukisha ilyo lyonse twamona umuti uwayemba.


Written by: Nicola Rijsdijk
Illustrated by: Maya Marshak
Translated by: Gridon Mwale
Read by: Christine Mwanza
Language: Nyanja
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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