Well-wishers have raised over €33,000 for a homeless man who had turned over a wallet he found containing €2,000 to the police.

Hadjer Al-Ali was given an award by the police for his honesty, hitting the headlines and generating an outpouring of offers of help. He then set up a GoFundMe account where people could donate money after being urged to do so by his new supporters.

“I have always tried to live my life in a correct way,” he told RTL Nieuws. “I always tell the truth and try to be fair… this for me is a sign, a reward and it means a lot.”

Al-Ali currently has no home and earns money to buy food by collecting cans and bottles for the deposits. “And if I earn a lot, I give it to other homeless people,” he said.

His new Instagram account, with just three posts, already has almost 6,000 followers.

He plans to use the money to help rent a home and get his life back on track. “This is going to change my life for the better,” he said. “I can invest in the future again.”

If the €2,000 is unclaimed after a year, he will also be able to count on that cash as a bonus.