EVENTS
The nearly 960-year-old Sovereign Order of Malta is the first organisation in the Western world dedicated exclusively to charitable activities. Its Hungarian branch, the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta (HCSOM), is Hungary’s longest-standing organisation engaged in international humanitarian assistance, having effectively been “born into” international crises: at the time of its establishment in 1989, the influx of East German refugees, the Romanian Revolution, and later the Balkan wars posed immediate challenges for the founding members. Continuing this tradition—one might say organisational charisma— HCSOM later became the first Hungarian organisation to implement independent programmes in Asia and the Middle East. Today, the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta operates humanitarian and development programmes in 15 countries, from South America to Southeast Asia.
In the following, we present the key achievements and major milestones of the international work of the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta.
Together with his companions, Blessed Gerard founded in Jerusalem, in honour of Saint John the Baptist, the first hospital operated by the religious order he led, known as the Knights of Saint John. This organisation—later known as the Sovereign Order of Malta—became the first charitable organisation in the Christian world.
After centuries of displacement, the Sovereign Order of Malta found a new home in Rome. Its headquarters remain there to this day, in the vicinity of the Spanish Steps. The organisation maintains diplomatic relations with more than 100 countries and holds observer status at the United Nations and the European Union. It operates in nearly 120 countries, serving those in need through its local relief organisations.
Father Imre Kozma and Csilla von Boeselager, of Hungarian origin, joined forces to support people in need in Hungary. The delivery of in-kind donations from Germany to Hungary began as a result of their cooperation.
Shortly after the political transition in Hungary, as soon as the legal framework made it possible, the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta (HCSOM) was officially established, registered under number 10. From that point on, the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta formally began supporting people in need in Hungary.
On 14 August 1989, the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta opened its first camp for East German refugees in the garden of the church in Zugliget, Budapest. With this, it launched what became the largest humanitarian relief operation in Europe at the time, providing care for 48,600 people over a period of three months.
Supporting the Hungarian minority—the largest national minority in Romania—became necessary immediately after the establishment of our organisation, during the Romanian revolution of 1989 that overthrew the oppressive dictatorship of Ceaușescu. However, our work did not end with the political transition in Romania; supporting Hungarians in Transylvania remains an important task to this day.
Princess Maria von Liechtenstein, after becoming acquainted with the work of the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta, invited Hungarian orphaned children to her residence for a summer holiday. This summer camp initiative has been ongoing for 28 years.
During the Yugoslav wars, the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta was among the first to assist those affected. It transported thousands of refugees to hospitals and delivered in-kind humanitarian aid. During the siege of Vukovar, Father Imre Kozma personally took part in the evacuation of the city’s civilian population.
Our youth exchange programme remains popular to this day: even before the rise of large-scale volunteering across Europe and Hungary, the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta had already launched a programme connecting young volunteers with partner organisations across Europe.
At the request of the Sovereign Order of Malta, the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta organised a summer camp in Zánka for Hungarian and predominantly international young people with disabilities for the first time. Nearly 600 participants arrived from different parts of the world to attend the camp.
In preparation for Hungary’s accession to the European Union, the organisational structure was transformed: regional units were established to replace the previous system of territorial organisations. The Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta also became involved in the system of EU funding programmes, which have since become widely known.
Following the tsunami on the Indian Ocean, the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta was among the first to take part in reconstruction efforts. In Sri Lanka, it built an orphanage, and later, in 2010, as a continuation of this work, the Vuk Kindergarten also opened its doors on the island.
One year later, the Kashmir earthquake posed a new challenge: the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta (HCSOM) deployed a medical mission team to Pakistan, and following the provision of professional medical services, Hungarian members of HCSOM also assisted in the distribution of humanitarian aid.
Since 23 August 2005, time in six municipalities of the Udvarhelyszék region, across fifteen settlements and part of Székelyudvarhely, has been marked as “before” and “after” the flood, when the most severe flooding of the past hundred years struck the area, claiming sixteen lives and causing extensive damage. The Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta was among the first to arrive on site, assisting both in emergency response efforts and in the subsequent recovery and rebuilding process.
Following a volcanic eruption in Indonesia, the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta launched a medical mission, during which 2,000 injured people were treated in small, remote villages that could not otherwise have been reached by central aid services.
Although the Israeli–Lebanese war lasted only about a month, it left behind a severe humanitarian crisis. Staff of the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta, travelling via Aleppo, Damascus and northern Lebanon, procured medicines and medical supplies worth several million forints and delivered them through occupied territories to those affected by the war in Lebanon.
Following the earthquake in Chengdu, China, staff of the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta assisted local authorities in the distribution of relief supplies. They also took part in the direct evacuation of several families and their relocation to Budapest, maintaining close relationships with these families to this day.
Following sudden heavy rainfall, severe flooding occurred in the country. The Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta delivered medical supplies to the hospital in Da Nang and supported the institution in managing the increased burden caused by the crisis.
The Sovereign Order of Malta concluded an intergovernmental agreement with the Hungarian State, enacted with the force of law. As the Hungarian administration increasingly recognised the tangible expressions of social solidarity, it placed growing trust in the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta (HCSOM). As a result, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other governmental bodies entrusted HCSOM with addressing international humanitarian crises that local authorities were unable, or only partially able, to manage.
Since its establishment, the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta (HCSOM) has considered the support of Hungarian communities living in diaspora a priority. Accordingly, Transcarpathia in Ukraine has become a key location of its so-called neighbourhood programmes within the Carpathian Basin. Since its founding, HCSOM has closely monitored the situation of the approximately 140,000 ethnic Hungarians living in Transcarpathia in order to provide assistance whenever needed.
The Sovereign Order of Malta once again entrusted the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta with organising its traditional summer camp for young people with disabilities. On this occasion, nearly 400 participants arrived from around the world for the one-week camp held at Lake Balaton.
As a result of the fighting in Libya, the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta (HCSOM) was requested to support the further training of doctors and nurses at a hospital in Tripoli. Staff of HCSOM travelled to Libya to share their expertise and assist local healthcare professionals.
The Libyan training programme was soon followed by a Syrian one: professionals who had taken part in the North African mission travelled to Syria, where they supported healthcare staff in hospitals in Aleppo and delivered medical and hospital equipment.
The years 2010–2011 marked a significant milestone in the international humanitarian work of the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta: preparations began for a Sub-Saharan African programme, adapting the “Presence” model—successfully implemented in segregated communities in Hungary—to the African context. As a result of this work, a water and sanitation centre was inaugurated in 2012 in the Kibera slum in Kenya.
Activities in Transcarpathia continued: the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta (HCSOM) organised first aid and resuscitation training courses in Lviv and Berehove, followed in 2013 by further trainings in Velyka Dobron, Mezővári and Lviv. Hungarian members of HCSOM later renovated a children’s home in Rakhiv and established a gymnasium at a primary school in Berehove. The healthcare programme continued in 2016 in Chernivtsi, Ivano-Frankivsk and Uzhhorod.
As a continuation of the Kibera programme, in 2013 the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta (HCSOM) introduced access to drinking water in one of the largest slums of Mombasa, Kenya—marking the first such initiative of its kind in the slum. This further strengthened HCSOM’s presence in East Africa, a momentum that continues to this day.
First, within the framework of the EVRECA project, experts of the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta (HCSOM) supported volunteers of disaster management services in the Caribbean. Later, in 2015, HCSOM further developed digital emergency response capacities in Albania through the Flood Aid and BE-DRIN training programmes. In 2019, similar activities were carried out in Serbia and Montenegro within the V-IOLA project.
The Sovereign Order of Malta celebrated the 900th anniversary of its foundation in Rome. Thousands of participants from around the world attended the event of the international humanitarian organisation, commemorating its origins in Jerusalem. During the celebrations, Father Imre Kozma, former President of the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta, personally greeted Pope Benedict XVI in St. Peter’s Basilica.
Due to extreme winter weather, severe flooding occurred in Serbia, in the area of Obrenovac. The Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta (HCSOM) supported eighty families in rebuilding their lives and delivered large quantities of humanitarian aid to the emergency services in Zrenjanin. In recognition of their efforts, the staff of HCSOM were awarded honorary citizenship by the city of Obrenovac.
One of the largest-scale and longest-running humanitarian operations of the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta (HCSOM) took place largely within Hungary’s borders. From May 2015 until the autumn of 2016, several hundred staff members of HCSOM were involved in providing humanitarian assistance to refugees passing through Hungary.
In order to ensure the lawful provision of assistance to refugees gathering and waiting primarily in the border zone between Hungary and Serbia, the Serbian government signed a cooperation agreement in Belgrade with the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta (HCSOM). As a result of this bilateral agreement, HCSOM became actively involved in humanitarian activities supporting refugees in the Vojvodina region.
During the active phase of the Syrian war, several staff members of the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta travelled to Aleppo to assess possibilities for humanitarian assistance and to renew partnerships. As a result, a hospital in one of the poorest areas of East Aleppo was renovated and expanded with a new wing.
The general economic and political crisis in Venezuela has pushed the country to the brink of collapse. Hungarians living there—primarily those who emigrated in 1945 and 1956—requested assistance from the Hungarian government. The Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta was tasked with supporting these families: through its humanitarian work, the organisation provides a comprehensive integration programme for Hungarians seeking refuge.
On the motorway near Verona, a bus carrying Hungarian students crashed into a pillar and caught fire. Eighteen people lost their lives and thirty-nine were injured in the tragedy. Psychologists of the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta (HCSOM) provided support to the injured and to the families of the victims who were in Italy. HCSOM also offered emergency vehicles, patient transport units and professional staff to assist in the repatriation of the injured.
The Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta (HCSOM) began supporting persecuted Christian families in Pakistan. These families fled from Karachi and Lahore to other parts of the country. HCSOM provides local support for their livelihoods, as well as for the education and training of their children.
The President of Hungary, János Áder, awarded high-level state honours to four staff members of the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta in recognition of their humanitarian service carried out in the Carpathian Basin and far beyond Hungary’s borders. The awards were presented in Parliament by Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén to Lajos Győri-Dani, Executive Vice President; Dániel Solymári, Head of International Relations; Gábor Tihanyi, Head of the Internal Audit Working Group; and Alpár Lázár, Head of the Resource Centre.
The Prime Minister of Hungary pledged one million euros to representatives of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church in Homs to support Syrian refugees wishing to return home. The local bishopric provides housing assistance to these families, while the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta coordinates the implementation of this programme.
During his official visit to Hungary, on 4 November German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas visited the national headquarters of the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta, where he commemorated the anniversary of the reception of East German refugees together with Imre Kozma, the founding president of the organisation, and Maltese volunteers who provided assistance during the 1989 refugee crisis.
Cardinal John Njue of Kenya received the delegation of the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta at his office in Nairobi. The Cardinal and the Hungarian Malteser representatives held a cordial meeting, focusing primarily on Hungary’s role in supporting education in Kenya. The following day, the Hungarian delegation also met the head of the Christian parliamentary group in the upper house of the Kenyan Parliament.
Between 2021 and 2023, a programme was implemented in Kenya enabling 50 families from the Kibera slum to return to their rural homes and establish sustainable livelihoods. Within the framework of the programme, participants were supported through training in entrepreneurship and financial literacy, as well as through financial assistance and mentoring, helping them to start their own businesses and secure their future.
Following the outbreak of the armed conflict in Ukraine on 24 February 2022, more than two million people fled the country. Around 11% of those forced to leave their homes arrived in Hungary. The Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta responded almost immediately to assist those in need. Initially, support was provided along the border, and later expanded nationwide, offering comprehensive assistance and care to refugees.
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At the Mashimoni primary and secondary school located in Kibera, Africa’s largest slum, nearly 400 students study under poor conditions, with no access to clean drinking water and an insufficient number of sanitation facilities. Through our comprehensive programme, a borehole was drilled at the school, sanitation blocks and toilets were renovated and expanded, the school fence was rebuilt, and a water kiosk was established. This allows the school to sell part of the water, generating income to support its sustainable operation.
The earthquakes that struck on 6 February 2023 claimed more than 50,000 lives in Turkey and Syria, while around 1.5 million people were left homeless. The Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta (HCSOM) operated in Syria as the only Western organisation, providing critical support through its healthcare capacity by deploying mobile medical units and operating theatres, as well as distributing medicines, food and sleeping bags to those in need. In Turkey, HCSOM delivered a medical aid shipment worth 20 million HUF to support the affected population.
National Headquarters
Department of Foreign Affairs
Hungary, 1011 Budapest, Bem rakpart 28.
Tel.: +36-1-391-4700
Fax: +36-1-391-4728
E-mail: nemzetkozi@maltai.hu
