The purpose of the Order is to " care and assistance of the sick and the poor , and to the support and defense of the Christian faith and the traditions and principles of Christian chivalry . " In recent years the order participate in worldwide humanitarian efforts . It has been engaged in a major charitable program to revive Christianity in Eastern Europe : Russia , Ukraine , Armenia , Georgia , and the Near East : Lebanon , Syria , and the Palestinian territories . Millions of dollars worth of food , clothing , medical equipment and supplies have been distributed by the LHW-volunteers of the Humanitarian Grand Priory Europe ( GPEU ) in Poland , Hungary , Lithuania , Romania , Croatia and North Macedonia . Because of this experience , the European Community commissioned the LHW-volunteer organisation Lazarus-Hilfswerk to transport more than 21,000 tons of food to the hungry in Russia and to distribute it in St. Petersburg , Novorod and Moscow . The Order organised with the LHW food aid and managed reconstruction projects after the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami
Order of Saint Lazarus (statuted 1910)