This is the simplest but nevertheless strongest word that comes to my mind. Thanks to all those who have worked to help other people, in order to build a better world together.

The world in which we live is not the most beautiful place on Earth. It keeps on being struck by tragic events, by natural disasters, by wars, it keeps on being afflicted by Man’s cruel hand. These events, which thanks to the media we daily witness, profoundly affect the balance and integrity of communities.

Faithful to the hospitaller traditions of the Order of Saint Lazarus, volunteers coming from the four corners of the world, from different cultures, languages, religions, ideologies and opinions, have set themselves a common target: to help and provide aid for people in distress.

The content of this report is just a factual summary, a partial reflection of everyone’s actions and commitments. These figures conceal incalculable hours of work, the personal costs and sacrifices incurred, the energy expended and a multitude of small acts which can never be recorded. This report conceals that there is something more important, each member’s heart.

The heart which allows a child in distress to dream again, the heart which gives bread to a beggar, the heart which alleviates the pain of a wound to the body or the mind, the heart which offers love…

This heart is not quantifiable, nevertheless it is essential for us: it guides us day after day in our struggle for life. The members of Saint Lazarus are the new generation of nobility: the noble of heart.