German Karate Association President Wolfgang Weigert has teamed up with the Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation ©WKF

The German Karate Association (DKV) has teamed up with the Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation to finance the construction of a karate hall in Kenya.

Headed by Tegla Loroupe, the United Nations Ambassador of Sport and Chef de Mission of the refugee teams for the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the Peace Foundation is continuing its development programmes in Kenya with the construction of different facilities in the country.

It has now joined forces with the German Karate Association and the Bavarian Karate Association, which will fully finance a karate hall for refugees and appoint a sensei to lead the training in the facility. 

The project aligns with the DKV's objective of developing social responsibility and promoting the values of karate. 

In addition to the construction of the karate hall in Kenya, the DKV is running several other social projects. 

This includes the "Two Strong Associations - One Strong Community" campaign, which joins the 2,500 karate clubs in Germany with the German Association of Towns and Municipalities to promote an open and diverse community through the practice of sport. 

The campaign "Together On The Mat" promotes the inclusion of people with disabilities, refugees, individuals with social disadvantages, and others from challenging backgrounds. 

Former marathon world record holder Tegla Loroupe has been working to build sporting facilities in Kenya ©Getty Images
Former marathon world record holder Tegla Loroupe has been working to build sporting facilities in Kenya ©Getty Images

"With the construction of the karate hall, we do not only want to emphasise the importance of the practice of sport - we also aim to ensure that values such as respect, cooperation, honesty, and courage are shared among the children and refugees there," said German and Bavarian Karate Associations President Wolfgang Weigert.

"By participating in this project, we believe that we are sending out a strong message of the power of our karate values. 

"Also, with the construction and management of this hall, we demonstrate our intention of joining organisations such as the Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation, the United Nations Refugee Agency and the International Olympic Committee in contributing to improving the conditions of refugees."

Launched in October, the construction of the karate hall in Kenya is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year. 

Alongside her work in peace, Kenya's Loroupe is a three-time world half marathon champion and a former marathon world record holder, setting the time of 2hrs 20mins 43secs in 1999.

Her record was surpassed by Japan's Naoko Takahashi in 2001.