Faith Kipyegon Takes on Maternal Health Crisis With Bold Project in Kenya

Three-time Olympic 1500m champion Faith Kipyegon is leveraging her global status to combat child and maternal mortality in her home country.

The Kenyan superstar has broken ground on the 'Dare to Dream Maternity Ward,' a new facility set to be built in her hometown of Keringet later this year.

While Faith Kipyegon has spent the last few years shattering world records and making history on the track, her focus has also turned to a pressing issue off it.

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Since becoming a mother in 2018, the three-time Olympic gold medallist has become increasingly concerned by the high rates of maternal and infant deaths in Kenya.

Applying the same determination that has defined her athletic career, Faith Kipyegon is now tackling this challenge head-on, aiming to create a lasting legacy beyond her sporting achievements.

"Today is about a different kind of breakthrough," Kipyegon stated at the groundbreaking ceremony. "A breakthrough that matters far beyond sport. A breakthrough that touches life itself."

On Sunday, January 25, she returned to Keringet for the official launch of the project, which will be constructed at the Immaculate Conception grounds. The initiative is deeply personal, born from her own experiences growing up in the rural community.

"While growing up in Keringet and actually still today, I see something that breaks my heart far too often," Faith Kipyegon shared.

"I see women go into labour full of hope, carrying life, carrying dreams, and too many times, they come back empty-handed. Not because they did anything wrong. But because the care they needed was too far away, too limited, or simply not good enough."

"For a long time, I carried a dream in my heart," she continued. "A dream to help change this reality. A dream to create a place where women feel safe when they give life. A place where children come into the world with care, protection, and hope. Today, that dream takes its first powerful step."

According to the latest World Health Organisation statistics, Kenya records approximately 350 maternal deaths for every 100,000 live births.

This translates to about 16 women dying daily from pregnancy-related complications, a figure that weighs heavily on the champion runner.

Faith Kipyegon revealed that the idea for the maternity centre came to her last June while preparing for a historic attempt to run the mile in under four minutes.

Though she narrowly missed that goal, the experience sparked discussions with her sponsor, Nike, and the Franciscan Sisters of Immaculate Conception to establish the facility.

"This wing will carry my name, but this project is not about me," Kipyegon emphasised. "It is about the women who will walk through these doors with courage. It is about the babies who will take their first breath here. It is about families who will return home whole."

The launch event drew support from the athletic community, with fellow Olympic champion and training partner Eliud Kipchoge among the notable athletes in attendance.