An image of a homeless boy who used light from a McDonald’s restaurant in the Philippines to do his homework has pulled on the heart strings of many.

The photo, posted to Facebook by medical student Joyce Torrefranca, of Daniel Cabrera sitting on the pavement in Manilla, went viral.

Soon after Daniel and his mother appeared on a local radio station and donations started pouring in for the family – including a scholarship for the Year three student.

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Ms Torrefranca seeing Daniel sitting on the pavement hard at work, inspired her to work harder.

Daniel’s home was burned down and his father died. He is often seen begging with his mother in the area, but shows determination to get an education, she said.

Medical student Joyce Torrefranca. Photo: Facebook

“As a student, it gave me an inspiration to work harder. I seldom go to coffee shops to study, but this kid just hit me,” Ms Torrefranca wrote on Facebook.

One of Daniel’s teachers, Rosalina Detuya, described him as “a happy child”.

“He is also intelligent and actually answers during class discussion, he really participates,” she told nzherald.co.nz.

A local politician, Samuel Pagdilao, gave Daniel a scholarship, and his mother, Espinosa,  was given grants from sponsors to start her own business, ABS-CBN reported.

The family also received donations of money and food from local law enforcement and are working with a social worker to see how else they can be helped, according to the TV station.

After receiving such a warm response to the photo, Ms Torrefranca posted on Facebook.

“I didn’t think that a simple photo can make a huge difference,” she said.

“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.”

The image of Daniel was shared 6,680 times on Facebook.