12-year-old does homework under streetlight because family can’t afford electricity

CCTV footage of a 12-year-old Peruvian boy doing his homework under a streetlamp because his mother can’t afford to pay for electricity has gone viral.

Tugging at the heartstrings of millions, Víctor Martín Angulo Córdoba, the youngest of three siblings, first caught the attention of Moche police when he was captured by security cameras sitting on the sidewalk.

Victor’s family relies on candlelight because they can’t afford to install an electric meter in their house.

“One day my son said ‘If I continue with the candle, I will lose my mind! I’d better go outside to finish my homework,'” his mother Rosa Angulo Córdoba told Panamericana TV.

After the touched police department shared the video of the hardworking sixth-grader on their Facebook account, the video garnered over 5 million views, leading the mayor of the town to pay Victor and his family a visit.

“I hope they can help me, so I can have light at home and not have to go out to do my homework,” Victor, who wants to be a policeman, said in an interview.

Town Mayor Arturo Fernández Bazán has since offered to help the family with their troubles.