Homeless boy photographed doing schoolwork at McDonald's

  • 10/07/2015
Facebook: joyce.torrefranca
Facebook: joyce.torrefranca

A photo of a homeless boy doing his homework by the light of a McDonald's restaurant in the Philippines has gone viral online and prompted help for his family.

Facebook: Joyce.torrefranca

The boy, identified as Daniel Cabrera, says he had nowhere else to go. His widowed mother Christina Espinosa was struggling to make ends meet and the pair was temporarily living at the restaurant.

Student Joyce Torrefranca took the photo and posted it to Facebook, saying she had been "inspired by a kid".

After the photo went viral, Philippine news station ABS-CBN found the boy at the McDonald's, where he told them his family home had been destroyed in a fire.

He and his mother were then invited on to a local news station to tell their story, after which donations began pouring in.

Daniel was also offered a scholarship from local politician Rep Samuel Pagdilao and his mother was offered grants from sponsors to start her own business.

The family were also given donations of food and money from local law enforcements.

Ms Torrefranca has since made a statement online about the power of the photo she took.

"I didn't think that a simple photo can make a huge difference," she wrote.

"Thank you guys for sharing the photo. With that, we were able to help Daniel in reaching his dreams.

"I hope Daniel's story will continue touching our hearts so that we will always be inspired and motivated in every situation we face in life."

3 News