07/10/2026
Anthony Omari: Kenyan Caregiver Who Protected 37 Children During Attack:
In January 2012, Anthony Omari, a 24-year-old Kenyan who was helping care for children at Faraja Children’s Home in Ngong, Kenya, found himself facing an armed attack.
Armed men broke into the compound during the night. The attackers were carrying machetes, and the children inside the home were left vulnerable.
Omari decided to confront them.
He picked up a hammer and moved toward the attackers, trying to keep them away from the children.
During the confrontation, one of the men slashed Omari across the face. The injury was serious and required 11 stitches.
Despite being wounded, Omari continued fighting and eventually managed to secure the children inside the home and keep the attackers from reaching them.
The attack also raised concerns about security at Faraja. The children's home had reportedly experienced several break-ins in the weeks leading up to the incident.
A few days later, an American student named Ben Hardwick visited Faraja and met Omari. After hearing what had happened, Hardwick decided to share the story online.
His initial goal was to raise about $2,000 to improve security at the children's home.
The response was far greater than expected.
People from all 50 U.S. states and 46 countries contributed more than $80,000.
The funds were used to improve security at Faraja, including strengthening the perimeter and hiring guards. Some of the money also helped meet the basic needs of the children.
For Omari, however, the story began and ended with what happened that night.
He was 24 years old. He had no professional training for confronting armed attackers and no specialized protective equipment.
He had a hammer, and he had 37 children who needed protection.
Omari was injured, but he stayed with the children until they were secure.
His facial wound eventually healed, although it left a scar.
Years later, the fundraising effort remains an example of how one person's actions in Kenya brought together people around the world.
But at the center of the story is a simple act of courage: when the children were in danger, Anthony Omari chose to protect them.
Sometimes, that's what courage looks like—not a trained professional responding to a crisis, but an ordinary person making the decision to help when it matters most.
