Faith Kipyegon to build a maternity facility in Keringet to foster safe births

Three-time Olympic Champion and 1,500m World record holder Faith Kipyegon has announced an elaborate plan to construct a maternity facility in her home town.

The facility dubbed ‘Dare to Dream Maternity Ward’ is set to commence following the official ground-breaking ceremony that Kipyegon termed as, “very special moment for me, not just as an athlete, but as a woman, a mother, and a daughter of this community.”

“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. Not because they did anything wrong. But because the care they needed was too far away, too limited, or simply not good enough,” reflected Kipyegon.

She added that, “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.

And the price of that is paid by mothers, by babies, by families and therefore by our future.”

The facility that will be a reprieve for many women who must travel long distances to give birth will be funded by Kipyegon’s shoe partner Nike as a legacy project following her Breaking 4 attempt in June in 2025 where she attempted to become the first woman to run the mile in under 4 minutes.

“Today is more than a ground-breaking. It’s a commitment — a commitment to mothers, to local families, and to the next generation. Because when women have safe, dignified care in childbirth, the entire communities rise up around them,” said Tanya Hvizdak, global head of running for Nike. “When we partnered with you on Breaking4, it wasn’t only about performance — it was about purpose. 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,” Tanya added.

About Dare to Dream Maternity Ward

In June 2025 Faith Kipyegon attempted to break the 4-minute mile, and as a result, Nike is funding a new maternity ward, the "Dare to Dream Maternity Ward " in her home region of Keringet, Kenya to improve maternal healthcare, as the nearest hospital is still far away, leading to preventable deaths.