The Power of Photos: Boy's Life Changes After He's Pictured Doing Homework Outside McDonald's

Rachel Bertsche
·Writer
Updated
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This little boy studying outside of a McDonald’s has the Internet buzzing. (Photo: Joyce Gilos Torrefranca/Facebook)

Two photos of a boy doing his homework under the light of a McDonald’s in the Philippines have gone viral and inspired an outpouring of donations and support for the third-grader’s struggling family.

Joyce Gilos Torrefranca, a student in Mandaue City, spotted the young boy recently and says the significance of the moment struck her. “For me as a student, it just hit me a lot, like big time,“ she told ABS-CBN News. "I seldom go to coffee shops to study. And then this kid, he doesn’t have anything but he has dedication to study.”

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Torrefranca posted the photos to Facebook on June 23 with the caption, “I got inspired by a kid.” Her post was promptly shared more than 7,000 times. In the photos, which were taken in Cebu City, 9-year-old Daniel Cabrera is kneeling on the ground, resting his homework on a wooden stool.

Torrefranca didn’t respond to Yahoo Parenting’s request for comment.

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(Photo: Joyce Gilos Torrefranca/Facebook)

According to ABS-CBN, Daniel’s family has been homeless since their home was destroyed in a fire. They currently live in a nearby restaurant where Cabrera’s mother, Christina Espinosa, a widow, works with one of Daniel’s siblings. His other sibling is sick, the news station reported, and Espinosa only earns the equivalent of about $1.77 per day, which means Daniel often goes to school with no food.

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After the photo made the rounds on social media, local organizations, including a welfare agency, reached out to support the family, according to ABS-CBS. Local police officers gave the family groceries and some cash, sponsors are chipping in to provide Espinosa with the capital to start her own business, and Daniel got a scholarship grant from a local politician.

And that grant should come in handy for Daniel, who has years of studying ahead of him. He told local radio station dzMM that he wants to be a police officer when he grows up.

On Facebook, Torrefranca acknowledged that the photo had taken on a life of its own. “I didn’t think that a simple photo can make a huge difference,” she wrote on June 27. “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.”

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