It took an accident which almost cost him his life to realise the importance of living and giving back to those in need.
Now 19-year-old Aqeel Fransman’s only hope is that through his foundation, more youngsters and especially teenagers his age will be motivated to do the same.
Fransman from Eastridge in Mitchells Plain grew up tough with his mom Shireen Andrews.
The two, according to Andrews, lived from yard-to-yard scraping together what they could to make ends meet.
“I think that's what made him so tough,” Andrews says.
However, on 8 September 2021, Aqeel’s outlook on life would change. While he was playing a game of soccer with a group of his friends, and blacked out, running into a wall.
By this time Andrews had remarried and their family grew.
She says she learnt her boy had broken his scalp and arm.
He was rushed to the hospital, where he would spend the next two months recovering and also underwent a life-saving operation, which offered him a 50-50 chance of survival.
“When he was discharged, he started to share his vision with me, that he wanted to spend more time with the less fortunate and that he wanted to give back because God had given him another chance at life.
“I was so proud when I heard this, my heart melted and I immediately took his hand to support him,” she says.
Aqeel then started feeding around 30 people in the neighbourhood after approaching businesses for sponsors.
Within a month, the outreach programme grew and Aqeel successfully registered his NPO The Aqeel Fransman Foundation.
Aqeel tells the Weekend Argus that it was the best life decision he made.
“Just to think there was a time in my life when I didn't understand the struggles of those less fortunate. I would judge them because I just had it at the back of my mind that they can get a job, like my mommy also did for us.
“It was so bad that I didn't even want to give them bread or anything else, I disdained the homeless,” Aqeel says.
He added that during his time in the hospital, he had a lot of time to reflect on his past beliefs and actions.
“I realised that I had been judgmental and unkind towards those in need, so I was determined to make a change, I started by changing my mindset, especially the way I looked at these people.
“It didn't happen immediately because when I got back home I would spend a month catching up with my schoolwork, then I went for my second operation where they inserted a man-made bone and plate in my scalp.
“After this I came back and started to spend time with those in need, it truly humbled me, I realised that everybody's circumstances are different,” he says.
Aqeel now feeds between 150 to 200 people and hopes to open a shelter to provide a safe haven for those living on the streets.
He is also currently studying business management and hopes to run a business to help alleviate unemployment.
“I chose this with the hopes of employing people from the community as well,” he says.
His slogan, “people in need and we will feed,” has now become a rallying cry for his cause.
Aqeel said even though what happened to him could have meant the end of his life he believes it was a costly lesson.
“I want my story to be an encouragement and testimony to the youth, even if it takes a personal experience to open our eyes to the struggles of others, I have found my purpose and that is to help those in need, proving that even the smallest act of kindness can make a world of difference,” he says.