A Cape Town teen dedicated the festive season to supporting the homeless with meals and U-Turn vouchers, inspiring others, young and old alike.
Cape Town, South Africa (15 January 2025) — 15-year-old Michael-Daniel Bam might only be a teenager, but he already understands something that many adults still haven’t quite figured out—we grow most by giving back.
Through his own non-profit organisation, the Michael Daniel Bam Foundation NPC, Michael-Daniel hopes to make a difference for people and the planet, a mission to help others rise by providing relief to the downtrodden and the environment.
The NPC’s flagship initiative threw its hat in the ring to support homeless people toward the end of last year. In an interview with EWN, Michael-Daniel explained that what inspired him was an interaction with a security guard almost a year before that stuck with him.
One day, the Cape Town teen stopped to have a conversation with the man. He learned that his name was Sheperd and that he and his family had no choice but to live in the park that Michael-Daniel often walked through.
Using his own pocket money, Michael-Daniel decided to supply and prepare the first 25 meals of the foundation. From there, his effort turned into an Easter-feeding initiative that saw him rally funds within his school community before becoming an official NPC later on in 2024.
To end off the year, Michael-Daniel put all efforts toward providing 150 homeless people meals and U-Turn vouchers; allowing people to shop at the charity stores in a bid for dignity.
View this post on Instagram
Dubbed ‘Project Eudaimonia’, Michael-Daniel shared that the effort was about all about community upliftment.
“[Project Eudaimonia is about] restoring dignity and building connections within our community,” he said.
Its next initiative will run again in Easter!
As for environmental advocacy, December also saw Michael-Daniel’s NPC doing its part for the environment through clean-ups and ideas to create greener spaces for everyone to enjoy.
“Helping people and protecting the environment go hand in hand,” Michael-Daniel says. “I want to inspire others to care for our world and those who share it.”
It’s no surprise as to where Michael-Daniel gets his philanthropic tendancies. His father is none other than Dr Armand Bam, a social upliftment advocate and the Head of Social Impact at Stellenbosch University. Michael-Dean credits a lot of his inspiration to do good for his community to time spent with his dad.
You can support the young champion’s efforts via his NPC’s socials.
by 