Picture of refugee boy staring into gym goes viral- what the owner does will melt your heart
A gym in southern Turkey has welcomed a very special member into their fitness family.
12-year-old Mohammed Khaled, who works as a shoeshiner in Adiyaman province, was pictured staring longingly into the gym window, with a footstool strapped to his back.
Clad in just a thin sweat shirt and sandals in the depths of winter, he comes from a family of Syrian refugees.
The picture quickly went viral and captured hearts and minds across the country, eventually making it's way back to the gym's owner Engin Dogan.
Clearly moved by the image, Engin offered Mohammed an all-access lifetime pass to the facility.
Speaking to Hurriyet News, he said: “A boy, looking through the gym window, wearing slippers in the middle of winter and carrying his backpack.
“Our aim was to find him and offer him a lifetime membership here. And, we did it.
“He is one of our members now.”
Mohammed, told the Turkish news agency, Anadolu, that the opportunity was a dream come true.
“He found me and helped me,“ the 12-year-old said.
Mustafa Kucukkaya, one of the gym's managers, told Turkish newspaper Sabah: “It affected me very much because we came from nothing and we did not have such a gym in our time.
"The Turkish people are very sensitive about this issue, I am very touched, I think we are doing something very good."
The good deed has earned the respect of Instagram users around the globe, with many taking to the comments to commend the gym owners for their generosity.
“Amazing deed,” one user wrote. “Great work, inspirational stuff,” said another.
Mohammed, who has always “dreamed of losing weight,” hopes to use the opportunity to kick-start his fitness journey.
In a difficult and politically fragile part of the world, it warms our heart to see people coming together to offer kindness to a very deserving young man.