Around 2,000 children run away from home each year in Germany, and more than 300 become street children.

The phenomenon of German street children is not a symptom of poverty, but the result of social dysfunction. Körbe für Köln uses basketball as a hook to engage deprived youth in Cologne and offer them a route to counselling sessions, vocational advice, and support, thus promoting healthy personality development, violence prevention, and social skills development.

The project also offers a sheltered space for girls as well as indoor wheelchair basketball for participants with disabilities.