Kenyan double Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon joins the fight
As a world-class athlete and Olympic champion, Faith Kipyegon knows the importance of hope, vision and perseverance in achieving ambitious goals. She’s proud to join the Zero Malaria movement.
A gold-medallist at both the 2016 and 2020 Olympics, taking the Games record in Tokyo, Faith is no stranger to smashing boundaries and rising to ambitions. "My goals motivate me," she says, "With this campaign, our goal is to end malaria, and I think if we come together as one, we will."
Joining the Zero Malaria movement as an ambassador, Faith features in the newest Draw The Line Against Malaria film. As a Kenyan, she is familiar with the heavy toll of malaria. Thousands in Kenya die annually of the preventable, treatable disease.
"I’m proud to join this incredible campaign because I want to see an end to malaria, a disease of deep injustice particularly as it affects the world’s poorest people, especially for women and girls."
"Our goal is to end malaria, and I think if we come together as one, we will."
Faith is inspired to see the younger generation raising their voices to end malaria. "It will be a changed world when people grow up with zero malaria," she says, sharing her message to young people: "Let’s come together and see that we have zero malaria all over Africa."
Becoming a mother has influenced how Faith sees the fight against malaria. The disease is dangerous for anyone, but children and pregnant women are particularly at risk. "When I was pregnant with my daughter, I was so careful to protect myself, including making sure I slept under a mosquito net."
"It will be a changed world when people grow up with zero malaria."
In sub-Saharan Africa, 1 in 3 expectant mothers suffer from malaria, which can lead to dangerous complications for both the woman and her pregnancy.
"It’s really painful when you see women out there losing their child to malaria," says Faith, "We as women have to come out and speak loudly on behalf of other women."
Faith remains vigilant to prevent her daughter, now four years old, becoming ill with malaria – and welcomes news of game-changing vaccines. "My mission is to keep her safe. We sleep under our mosquito nets and see great tools now becoming available like the world’s first malaria vaccine, trialled in Kenya," she says.
"I want my daughter to grow up and see the day when we have zero malaria in Kenya."
Let’s keep up the momentum towards a Zero Malaria future. Join Faith Kipyegon and Draw The Line Against Malaria today.
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