Medellin surpassed hundreds of cities around the world in one of the most sensitive issues for humanity: hunger, especially among children, and won the prestigious Mayors Challenge 2026 award from Bloomberg Philanthropies, which is endowed with one million dollars (4,000 million pesos). That money, according to the citys mayor, Federico Gutierrez, will go directly to strengthening the operational capacities of the Medellin Zero Hunger Alliance.
Gutierrez, who received the award at the ceremony that took place in Madrid, Spain, said that his administration will “improve logistics to recover many more foods. We will acquire transport such as cargo motorcycles and increase storage capacity in food banks.” At the same time, he recalled that, upon taking office as mayor of the capital of Antioquia in 2024, he found the painful figure of 582,000 people going hungry and the death of four children from acute malnutrition in the previous year.
“At present, in just one year of the program, hunger was reduced from 28% to 19% and we are going to continue reducing it. How was this done and why is it also important to show results such as those of acute child malnutrition? As of today, in the course of our administration in 2024, 2025 and what has gone of 2026, there have been zero children dead,” said Mayor Gutierrez.
Two consecutive years without deaths from child malnutrition
The city was one of the 24 selected among more than 630 global candidates to receive the award that highlights the use of artificial intelligence to combat complex social problems. The key to Medellins success lies in the fact that the program is not limited to assistance, but rather operates as a sustainable and scalable system. Today, thanks to this artificial intelligence platform, the waste of enough food to serve 5 million meals at the tables of the most vulnerable has been avoided.
Mayor Gutierrez summarized the program in a few points: “We went from a city with 28% hunger in 2023 to reducing that figure to 19%. We achieved two consecutive years without deaths from child malnutrition and the lowest rate in history. We guarantee food for 244,000 students with the PAE and for all children in Buen Comienzo 365 days a year. 48,000 households receive food support. And we recover 80,000 meals per month with AI. This award belongs to the people. And we are going to turn it into more results. Medellin, better every day.”
For the year 2027, the mayors office expects that 90,000 people will permanently access these recovered foods, consolidating the “Madrinas” program and the Zonal Food Security Centers as a replicable model that is already considered the best in the country in its category. Gutierrez said: “Why did we win? Because of the progress we have made in Zero Hunger, and we are going for more, and after having more resources, more willingness and being able to overcome hunger in our city.”
The award to the program that brings together food banks and foundations to guarantee access to food for the most vulnerable populations also consolidates it as one of the most outstanding social strategies worldwide. It is another of those good reasons why Medellin continues to be the subject of international recognition.