Evangelical Church in Cologne launches donation drive for counseling center

The 2026/2027 Diakonie donation from the Evangelical Church Association of Cologne and Region will support the Evangelical Counseling Center Cologne and Region. The funds are intended to expand counseling services for children and adolescents, enable additional group offerings, improve equipment in children's therapy rooms, and strengthen inclusive counseling.

To encourage contributions, the Evangelical Church Association will match every donated cent up to a total donation volume of 100,000 euros.

City Superintendent Bernhard Seiger emphasized the necessity of early, low-threshold support to prevent crises from escalating into more costly interventions, such as inpatient care. He expressed concern regarding the freezing of funding for family counseling provided by independent organizations, noting that while municipal services have seen adjustments for wage increases, independent providers face potential staff reductions and service cuts due to Cologne's tight budgetary situation. Christian Gröger, head of the counseling center, noted that prevention is more effective than managing the resulting costs of unaddressed crises.