Why Has a Pic of a Kid Doing His Homework Gone Viral?

A homeless boy who has been pictured doing his homework in the streets late at night by the window of a fast food outlet  is going viral.

The young boy, whose name is Daniel Cabrera, has been homeless since his family's house was destroyed in a fire, and they are currently living in temporary accommodation. Student Joyce Torrefranca took the picture of the young boy in the city of Cebu in the Philippines, who uses the light from the windows of a local McDonalds to do his homework, the only stable light source near where his family are currently based.

Pic via Sky News/Joyce Torrefranca

Speaking to news station ABS-CBN, who tracked the boy down, Torrefranca said that the image resonated with her in particular because she was a medical student: "I seldom go to coffee shops to study. And then this kid, he doesn't have anything but he has dedication to study".

Cabrera is a third class student who can often be seen using the little wooden table pictured to write or draw in a book to make sure that he gets his homework done. When the news station caught up with him, he said that his father was dead and one of his siblings was ill, so he had to focus on his studies so that he could help his family when he gets old enough. His teacher, Rosalina Detuya, said "Daniel is a happy child and also very intelligent. He answers often during class discussions and really gets involved".

The image has received thousands of shares online, and as a result Daniel's plight has been noticed by the local government, who sent a social welfare officer to check on the family.

Via Sky News. Main pic via Mike Mozart/Flickr

Is a very sad situation and we hope that the fact that the image has swept the world will bring about real change.