The Travellers Aid Mission Cologne exists since 1899. Nowadays the Travellers Aid Mission does not only help travellers in need, but also offers help and services to anybody in need, e.g. homeless people. Because it is situated at the main train station many guests are international travellers and refugees.

Regularly the staff members walk around the train station in teams of two, looking for people in need and offer their help to them, such as giving help to handicapped people changing the trains (blind people, people with mobility problems and elderly people).

The project “kids on tour” accompanies children who travel alone, e.g. to visit one of the parents, on special train routes, e.g. Cologne-Hamburg. In the children-lounge families can wait for their connecting trains. Here the Travellers Aid Mission, with support by the volunteers, offers child care.

In a resting area of the Travellers Aid Mission people can take a break. A lot of guests are homeless or suffer from psychological problems and addictions. In the Travelleres Aid Mission they can talk about their needs and problems and help is offered to them. If necessary the person will be referred to other social services, local authorities, embassies, shelters, etc.

Since 2000 the Travellers Aid Mission hosts national and international fulltime volunteers as well as many older local volunteers. The team of two professional staff members and many volunteers run the Travellers Aid Mission in shifts.

The work at the Travellers Aid Mission varies a lot every day.  The volunteer will meet people of any age and from all social backgrounds with different problems and questions. Like all staff members, the volunteer will have different work schedules, early shifts, late shifts and twice a month he/she must work one day on the weekend. The activities are based on daily demand.

Tasks of the volunteerts are for example:

• Assistence of people in need, e.g. homeless people, families in the children-lounge, handicapped people changing the trains or victims of robbery.
• Chatting with visitors of the Travellers Aid Mission.
• Doing campaign work and public relations.