🍽️ Hunger & Food SecurityLocal/Regional🇨🇴 Medellín

Kind Footprint / Empower the Barrios

A small U.S. 501(c)(3) working in low-income neighborhoods of northern Medellín, running an ambulance and emergency-response service (Emergencias Apolo), coding classes (Recode the Future), food package deliveries and a Christmas toy program.

Kind Footprint runs ambulances, coding classes and food deliveries in Medellín's low-income barrios — and gifts designated to a program go 100% to that program.

You give directly to Kind Footprint / Empower the Barrios. randomcharity.com takes $0 and never touches your money.

What Kind Footprint / Empower the Barrios does

Kind Footprint, also known as Empower the Barrios, is a small US charity working in low-income neighborhoods on the northern side of Medellín, Colombia, including Bello and nearby informal settlements. It was founded in April 2020 by Steve Cha. Its project coordinator and CFO, Mees Liedekerken, has lived in Medellín since 2019.

During the COVID-19 pandemic it handed out food aid: 350,000 meals, by its own count. Its current work goes well beyond food. Emergencias Apolo runs three ambulances and three motorcycle units for emergency medical and mental-health calls, and responded to 205 emergencies in 2025. Recode the Future teaches coding to a small group of about 30 students, and the org says some graduates now work in tech. Feed the Barrios still delivers food packages, and a Christmas program has given out nearly 14,000 toys since 2022.

The organization keeps two pools of money: gifts made to a specific program go entirely to that program, and administrative costs are paid from a separate fund. It says it has put $200,000+ to work since 2020, and it has no externally audited financial statements yet.

Key facts

  • Reports distributing 350,000 meals in Medellín during COVID-19 (Kind Footprint site)
  • Its Emergencias Apolo emergency medical service (3 ambulances, 3 motorcycle units) attended 205 emergencies in 2025, 54 of them classed as life-saving (Kind Footprint site)
  • Christmas gift program: 13,879+ toys handed out since 2022 (Kind Footprint FAQ)
  • 2024 spending: about $60,000 on programs and $10,000 on administration and compliance (Kind Footprint FAQ)

Before you give

  • Gifts designated to a specific program go 100% to that program; admin costs come from a separate donation pool (org FAQ).
  • No externally audited financial statements yet; the org says program invoices and delivery records are available on request.
  • Latest IRS filing visible on ProPublica is a FY2021 Form 990-EZ ($71,455 revenue); officers reported zero compensation.
  • Founding date: the org says April 2020, but ProPublica shows its IRS exemption dated July 2019.

Common questions

Is Kind Footprint / Empower the Barrios a legitimate charity?

Tax status: US 501(c)(3) registered in California — donations are tax-deductible for US taxpayers. It files with the IRS under EIN 83-1522419, and its annual returns are public on ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer. It isn't rated by the major evaluators, which is common for small, local and non-US charities. As with any charity, check its latest filings before a large gift.

Are donations to Kind Footprint / Empower the Barrios tax-deductible?

US 501(c)(3) registered in California — donations are tax-deductible for US taxpayers.

Where does Kind Footprint / Empower the Barrios work?

Kind Footprint / Empower the Barrios works in Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia. It is based in San Diego, California (programs in Medellín, Colombia).

How do I donate to Kind Footprint / Empower the Barrios?

Use the Donate button on this page — it goes straight to Kind Footprint / Empower the Barrios's own donation page on kindfootprint.org. randomcharity.com doesn't process payments, doesn't see your card details and takes no cut.

Sources

  1. kindfootprint.org/
  2. kindfootprint.org/donate/
  3. kindfootprint.org/faq/
  4. kindfootprint.org/our-work/
  5. projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/831522419

Profile researched and last reviewed September 2026. Ratings and figures change — the linked evaluator pages always show the current version.

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