The idea of founding the Colombian Red Cross was first conceived by physician and member of the National Academy of Medicine Dr. Hipolito Machado and followed by pupil and physician Adriano Perdomo.

Other original founders were entrepreneur Santiago Samper who would initially sponsor it and also physicians Jose Maria Montoya and Nicolas Buendia.

They brought it upon themselves to use a horse-drawn carriage as an ambulance to transport victims in the battlefield.

The Colombian Red Cross mission exists under the principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent movement as expressed by the text below: Prevenir y aliviar, el sufrimiento y la desprotección de las personas afectadas por contingencias, con imparcialidad, sin discriminación por nacionalidad, raza, sexo, religión, idioma, condición social u opinión política; la protección de la vida y la salud de las personas y su dignidad como seres humanos, en particular, en tiempo de conflicto armado y en emergencias; contribuir a la promoción de la salud, el bienestar social y la prevención de las enfermedades; promover y defender los Derechos Humanos, el Derecho Internacional Humanitario y los principios fundamentales del Movimiento Internacional de la Cruz Roja y de la Media Luna RojaTranslation: To prevent and to alleviate the suffering and lack of protection of people affected by contingencies, with impartiality, without discrimination of nationality, race, sex, religion, language, social status or political views; the protection of life and health of people and their dignity as human beings, in particular, in time of armed conflict and emergencies; to promote health and social welfare and the preventing of disease; to promote and defend human rights, international humanitarian rights and the fundamental principles of the International Movement of the Red Cross and Red Crescent.

According to a 2009 report by the ICRC the following is the scope on which the Colombian Red Cross has participated: Afghanistan Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan The Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus (suspended) Belgium Belize Benin Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Chile [es] China Colombia Comoros Congo [it] Congo, Democratic Republic of the Cook Islands Costa Rica [es] Côte d'Ivoire Croatia Cuba [es] Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador [es] Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia Fiji Finland France Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Grenada Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Honduras Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Korea, North Korea, South Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nepal Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria North Macedonia Norway Pakistan Palau Palestine Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru (suspended) Philippines Poland Portugal [pt] Qatar Republika Srpska Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino São Tomé and Príncipe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan (Republic of China) Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela Viet Nam Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Abkhazia (no-member) Cyprus, North (non-member) Hong Kong (autonomous branch of the RCSC) Kosovo (non-member) Macau (autonomous branch of the RCSC) Oman (non-member) Ossetia, South (non-member) SADR (pending recognition and admission) Somaliland (non-member) Taiwan (former member) Transnistria (non-member) Vatican City (autonomous branch of the Italian Red Cross)