The Corps Saint Lazarus International (CSLI), or simply the Lazarus Union, is an international

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

that focuses on humanitarian aid and civil protection, whilst following the principles of Saint Lazarus; tolerance, humility, mercy and charity. The Lazarus Union has members in more than 120 countries and enjoys

General Consultative Status The consultative status is a phrase that has been in use since the establishment of the United Nations and is used within the UN community to refer to "Non-governmental organizations ( NGOs) in Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic a ...

with the

ECOSOC The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is one of six principal organs of the United Nations, responsible for coordinating the economic and social fields of the organization, specifically in regards to the fifteen specialized ...

of the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

History

CSLI was founded in Austria in 2006.it. 23-02-2021> It is an international organization with headquarters in

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

, in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

, and is recognized by the authorities of that country with registration no. 023914681 (Austrian central register). In a short time the CSLI expands in Europe and in many other countries, in each of which develops projects with local specificities. Recognized as an NGO at the UN in 2013 (Code: 632158), in 2014 it obtained special consultative status at the UN ECOSOC and in 2019 the general consultative status. The reference to Lazarus is not so much to the Christian saint, Lazarus Union itself derives its tradition from the Order of St. Lazarus.it. 23-02-2021>

Activities

The Lazarus Union has a multitude of activities, mostly focused on helping those in need, such as the homeless, disabled etc. In some countries the CSLI has civil protection groups, such as in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

Flying Days

Each year the Austrian CSLI arranges a "Flugtag" (Flying Day) for the disabled. The day is held at the Stockerau Airport and it is composed of a wide array of activities that the disabled can try - free of charge. Besides being able to get a free flight in several different types of planes and

helicopters A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attribu ...

the visitors can also get a ride in a vintage firetruck, a WW2 jeep and other special vehicles.

Help for the Homeless

The CSLI is very active in helping the homeless. Each winter in

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

the CSLI donates tents and sleeping bags to the homeless.

Music Corps

The CSLI have their own orchestra playing both

brass band A brass band is a musical ensemble generally consisting primarily of brass instruments, most often with a percussion section. Ensembles that include brass and woodwind instruments can in certain traditions also be termed brass bands (particularl ...

music and traditional military marches, as well as an

honor guard A guard of honour (Commonwealth English), honor guard (American English) or ceremonial guard, is a group of people, typically drawn from the military, appointed to perform ceremonial duties – for example, to receive or guard a head of state ...

List of presidents of the Lazarus Union

* 2006 - 2019: Wolfgang Steinhardt * 2019 - 2022: Lothar Gellert * 2022 - ''ongoing'': Oliver M. Gruber-Lavin

References

{{Reflist International organisations based in Austria Religious organisations based in Austria