Faith Kipyegon./ PHOTO ;Courtesy
Three-time Olympic champion and 1500m world record holder Faith Kipyegon has announced plans to construct a maternity facility in her hometown of Keringet, a move aimed at addressing persistent gaps in maternal healthcare access in the rural community.
The facility, to be known as the Dare to Dream Maternity Ward, will be developed following an official ceremony held in Keringet on January 25.
For Kipyegon, the project represents a deeply personal commitment shaped by her lived experience and ongoing realities faced by women in the region.
“This is a very special moment for me, not just as an athlete, but as a woman, a mother, and a daughter of this community,” Kipyegon said during the ceremony.
Keringet, located in Nakuru County, serves a largely rural population where access to timely maternal care remains limited.
For many expectant mothers, reaching a fully equipped health facility requires long journeys over difficult terrain, often while in active labour.
The consequences, Kipyegon noted, are devastating and avoidable.
“While growing up in Keringet and, actually, still today, I see something that breaks my heart far too often. I see women go into labour full of hope, carrying life, carrying dreams, and too many times, they come back empty-handed,” she reflected.
“Not because they did anything wrong. But because the care they needed was too far away, too limited, or simply not good enough.”
According to local health data, women in Keringet currently travel approximately 35 kilometres to access hospital-based maternal services.
Delays in reaching care have been linked to preventable complications during childbirth, placing both mothers and newborns at heightened risk.
“Many women must travel long distances while pregnant. Many arrive too late. Many give birth without proper facilities, without enough medical support, without dignity or safety,” Kipyegon added. “And the price of that is paid by mothers, by babies, by families and therefore by our future.”
The Dare to Dream Maternity Ward is intended to directly respond to these challenges by bringing essential maternal services closer to the community. Once operational, the facility is expected to provide skilled birth attendance, emergency referral pathways, and safer delivery conditions for women who currently face significant barriers to care.
Funding for the project is being provided by Nike, Kipyegon’s long-term shoe partner, as part of a legacy initiative linked to her Breaking 4 attempt in June 2025.
During the highly publicised effort, Kipyegon sought to become the first woman in history to run the mile in under four minutes, an attempt that, regardless of outcome, was framed around pushing human potential and redefining limits.
“Today is more than groundbreaking. It’s a commitment, a commitment to mothers, to local families, and to the next generation,” said Tanya Hvizdak, Global Head of Running for Nike.
“Because when women have safe, dignified care in childbirth, entire communities rise around them.”
Hvizdak noted that the partnership with Kipyegon has evolved beyond elite performance into a broader social purpose.
“When we partnered with you on Breaking4, it wasn’t only about performance — it was about purpose,” she said.
“You’ve shown us that greatness isn’t only measured in medals or seconds, but in the lives we impact along the way and the future we build for others. This mother and child Centre is proof of that.”
The groundbreaking day itself reflected this intergenerational focus. Activities began with a children’s cross-country race that attracted more than 1,000 pupils from schools across Keringet, before community members, local leaders, and partners gathered for the official ceremony.
Beyond symbolism, the maternity ward represents a practical intervention in a health system under strain.
Kenya continues to grapple with disparities in maternal health outcomes between urban and rural areas, driven by distance to facilities, shortages of skilled personnel, and limited infrastructure.
Projects that localise care, particularly in underserved regions, have been shown to reduce maternal and neonatal complications when adequately resourced and integrated into county health systems.
For Kipyegon, the initiative is rooted in ensuring that women in her community do not have to risk their lives to give birth.
“In June 2025, Faith Kipyegon attempts to break the 4-minute mile, and as a result, Nike is funding a new maternity ward,” reads a project brief shared during the event.
“The nearest hospital is still far away, leading to preventable deaths.”
By linking global athletic achievement to a local health solution, the Dare to Dream Maternity Ward seeks to translate international visibility into tangible, community-level impact, offering safer births and healthier futures for families in Keringet.
