At the 2005 Christmas party in Kabarondo two of the boys, Daniel Munyabugingo (15) and
Murindwa Didier (12) read poems they wrote for the occasion. Daniel has been with SACCA since the project began in Kabarondo in early 2004 and Didier is a more recent addition, having arrived in the summer of 2005. They were not asked to write these poems, nor were they asked to write any words of praise for SACCA. What follows are their poems and translations into English completed by a member of staff.
Mubyeyi mwiza utagira uko usa
Gitego utuje rugori rwera
Mubyeyi mwiza urengera bose
Reka nkurate nkuvuge imyato
Niwow SACCA dukunda twese
Harya mu muhanda, Harya tureba
Harya tureba tukanahanga
Twarahabaye turangirika
Maze mubyeyi urahadukura
Reka nkurate kuko unikwiye
Hari ababyeyi dukunda iteka
Mark mubyeyi wahatuvanye
Naomi, Douglas, ukadutoza
Odile, Valentine, Bugingo mukaturera
Daniel, Dieudonné mukatwigisha
Iyabahanza ibahore hafi
Douglas utagira uko usa
Inama nziza warazitanze
Uduha byose ntacyo utwimye
Iyaguhanze iguhorehafi
Ndangije nshimira namwe babyeyi
Mwadukunze uko turi twese
Mukaduha inkunga y’uburere bwiza
Mukanga umurara uko muri mwese
Mukomeze intego mwihaye.
Umwana Wanyu
Murakoze.
Perfect parents
Better than anyone else
Good parents who help everyone
Let me talk about you to exalt you.
It’s you SACCA who we all love
The place on the street, where we can all see
The place that we see and that we hate
We lived there and our lives were destroyed
And you, dear parents, you took us from there
Let me exalt you, because you’re worth it
There are parents we love forever:
Mark, our father, who picked us from the street
Naomi and Douglas helped us a lot
Odile, Valentine, Bugingo educate us
Daniel, Dieudonné teach us.
May God help you all!
Douglas you’re a perfect person
You advise us perfectly
You give us everything you can
God help you
To finish my poem, I’m grateful to all our parents
We know you love all of us
You provide good education
You forbid from being bad children
I wish you achieve your aim
Murindwa Didier
Your son.
Thank you.
Didier meeting the Deputy Ambassador to Great Britain after winning a competition to design the front cover for the Christmas carol song book 2005.
Kera cyane ndi mu muhanda
Kera cyane ndi mayibobo
Kera cyane mpabwa akato
Umbonye wese akabuza induru
Ngo dore umujura dore ikirara
Ntibyatinze Mbone umubyeyi
SACCA dukunda iba ira hakase
Ifata iyambere iradutwara
Umuco mwiza uburere bwiza
Irabidutoza iranaduhindura
Uwari umwanda ahinduka umwana
Uwari ingegera ahinduka ingaga
Uwari mayibobo yitwa umuntu
Si ugukundwa turatoneshwa.
Ndate nshima abarezi bacu
Nibo badukunda bakadutoza
Urwo rufaransa n’icyongereza
Mudasobwa yo turahumeka
Naho kumikino yo turarindwa.
Daniel mwiza dukunda twese
Uwita Dieudonné ntiwareba
Odile, Bugingo nawe Joy
Muri ababyeyi twese tuzi.
Valentine wacu!!
Gahorane amashyo.
Ndangije nshima
Abari hano mwese
Umutima mwiza muzawuhorane
Mufashe uriubyiruko nkatwe twese
Maze umwana ahabwe agaciro.
Umwana wanyu
Murakoze
Murakarama
A long time ago when I was on the street
A long time ago when I was a street child
A long time ago when I was isolated
When everyone shouted at me every time I was seen
Because I was a bad boy, a thief
That bad moment did not last for long
SACCA project that we love was set up
It took us from the street
It taught us to behave well.
What was ‘dirt’ became a child
The person was a thief became a respectful person
The person who was a street child started being called a human being
We started being loved so much.
Let me congratulate our educators.
They love us and they teach us French and English
We are excellent at using computers
And excellent at games.
We all love Daniel. He is a very nice person
Dieudonné is even nicer.
Odile, Bugingo and Joy are our parents
Oh! Our Valentine
May God give you hundreds of cows!
To give an end to my poem
I would like to say I’m grateful to everyone present here
I wish you stay forever with your good heart
I wish you continue helping youth like us
To make children respected
Munyabugingo Daniel
Your son
Thank you very much.
