Children of Medellín - Fundación Caminos

What Children of Medellín - Fundación Caminos does

Children of Medellín - Fundación Caminos is a Dutch-Colombian charitable foundation that delivers free social programs to nearly 500 children per year in the Bello Oriente neighborhood of Medellín, an area largely populated by families displaced by violence elsewhere in Colombia. Founded in 2007 by Eddy Veldhuisen, the foundation began as informal soccer outreach to street children and has grown into a formal organization operating its own building, sports field, and dedicated classroom and office spaces.

The foundation's core offering is a holistic combination of sports (soccer), education (English, reading and writing, computing), cultural activities (dance, music), career guidance, and psychological support, including a distinctive journalism project called 'Entendámonos' in which children produce their own magazine. Programs are delivered directly at the Medellín facility at no cost to beneficiaries, and the foundation explicitly partners with the surrounding family and community environment rather than working with children in isolation.

The organization is structured as two legal entities — Fundación Caminos in Colombia and Stichting Children of Medellin in the Netherlands (an ANBI-registered charity) — and is funded entirely through voluntary donations, sponsorships (child, soccer team, book, and "vriend" tiers), and bank or PayPal contributions from a global supporter base. There are no funding rounds, no equity investors, and no commercial revenue stream. Outreach is conducted through multilingual newsletters (Dutch, English, Spanish), social media (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube), blog stories, and published annual reports and a 2024-2030 policy plan for donor transparency.

Name

Children of Medellín - Fundación Caminos

Legal name

Fundación Caminos

Website

https://childrenofmedellin.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Children of Medellín - Fundación Caminos is a Colombian-Dutch nonprofit foundation, founded in 2007, that provides free sports, educational, cultural, and psychological programs to nearly 500 children annually in Medellín's Bello Oriente neighborhood. It operates entirely on donations and volunteer support.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Child Welfare and Youth Development Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Child and Youth Services (624110), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGABAG

Child Protection & Child Rights

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/International Development & Poverty Alleviation

SECONDARYBPAGADAK

Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Education & Youth Development Nonprofits

SECONDARYBPADAKAJ

Education in Emergencies (EiE) & Safe Schools

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/Education & Skills Development Programs

Keywords

• Child welfare programs
• Community youth services
• Nonprofit education programs
• Social sports programs
• Charitable foundation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Medellín

HQ country

Colombia

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations from supporters: The foundation operates primarily through voluntary donations from individuals, organizations, and sponsors. Supporters can become 'friends of the foundation', sponsor children, sponsor soccer teams, or make general donations through bank transfers (ABN AMRO Netherlands, Bancolombia Colombia) or PayPal.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Children of Medellín / Fundación Caminos is a charitable foundation that provides free, in-person social, educational, cultural, and sports programs to approximately 500 children per year from disadvantaged and displaced families in the Bello Oriente neighborhood of Medellín, Colombia. Core offerings include soccer/football activities, English lessons, reading and writing instruction, computer training, dance, music, career guidance, a children's journalism project ("Entendámonos"), and psychological support, delivered at the foundation's own facility.

Product overview

Children of Medellín / Fundación Caminos is a charitable foundation (not a tech product company) offering social programs for vulnerable children in Medellín, Colombia. The organization operates as a single unified charitable service providing sports, educational, cultural, and personal development activities to approximately 500 children annually. Core offerings include football/soccer programs (the largest initiative), English and computer lessons, reading and writing instruction, dance, music, and a journalism project called 'Entendámonos' (Understand Us). The foundation, established in 2007 by Eddy Veldhuisen, is located in the Bello Oriente neighborhood and focuses on helping children from displaced and marginalized families develop their talents and build independent futures.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Children of Medellín Core Programs (sports, education, culture, and personal development) Comprehensive social programs for nearly 500 children per year disadvantaged by poverty, violence, neglect, sexual harassment, and addiction in the Bello Oriente neighborhood of Medellín. Includes soccer/football activities, English lessons, reading and writing instruction, computer training, dance, music, career guidance, psychological support, and the children's journalism project "Entendámonos." Services are provided free of charge at the foundation's own facility.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Compassion International: Large international child-sponsorship NGO that pairs individual donors with children in developing countries, including Colombia. Closely comparable sponsorship/donation revenue model and beneficiary-centric program structure.
• Fundación Pies Descalzos: Colombia-based foundation providing education and nutrition support to vulnerable children. Most directly comparable Colombian peer: similar geographic focus, child-welfare mission, and donor-supported model serving disadvantaged youth.
• Colombianitos: Colombian child-focused foundation supporting children affected by armed conflict and poverty through education, recreation, and psychosocial support. Closely mirrors the Bello Oriente beneficiary profile and integrated sports-education-psychosocial approach.
• Aldeas Infantiles SOS Colombia: International NGO operating in Colombia that supports vulnerable children through education, family strengthening, and care programs. Directly comparable mission, beneficiary profile, and integrated social services delivery model.
• Children International: International nonprofit providing sponsorship-based support for children in poverty across multiple countries including Colombia. Directly comparable child sponsorship revenue model and educational/community programming focus.

Regional players

• Fundación Cardiovascular de Colombia (and similar Colombian health/social foundations): Examples the broader Colombian foundation ecosystem — well-established, donation-supported nonprofits operating community programs in Colombia. Comparable legal/formational structure (Fundación) and donor-supported delivery model, though focused on different verticals.

Broad incumbents

• Save the Children: Global humanitarian organization focused on children's wellbeing, education, and protection, with significant Colombia presence. Comparable child welfare mission but vastly larger footprint and institutional donor base.
• World Vision: Large international child-focused humanitarian organization with sponsorship and community development programs across Latin America. Comparable child sponsorship model and integrated education-protection-livelihoods programming.
• Plan International: Major international NGO advancing children's rights and equality for girls globally, with active Colombia programming. Comparable mission and beneficiary focus but operates at much greater scale across broader thematic areas.
• UNICEF Colombia: UN agency dedicated to child rights and wellbeing with a major Colombia country office addressing child protection, education, and youth development. Comparable mission scope and beneficiary profile but operates as a UN agency at vastly greater scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ChildrenOfMedellin
• Facebookfacebook.com/childrenofmedellin
• Instagraminstagram.com/childrenofmedellin
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/children-of-medellin-fundacion-caminos

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Children of Medellín - Fundación Caminos