Today the Order of St John is an international family of charities whose mission is to lead globally in first aid and medical responses to community healthcare needs. The Order accomplishes its mission with the support of its 11 Priories and over 30 associations, 23,500 Members worldwide and 200,000 dedicated volunteers operating in more than 30 countries. The Order encompasses the foundations of St. John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group (SJEHG) and St John Ambulance.
Our Activities
The Order of St John is and has always been apolitical, and its work furthers the cause of peace in the Middle East. In a land where ethnic and religious divisions still fester and the situation changes daily, The St. John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group has made real the ideal of peoples united by their faiths. Inspired by Christian ideals, the hospital treats mostly Muslim patients with the help of many Jewish physicians who assist in training.
For many years the Hospital Group battled trachoma, a disease that once regularly blinded thousands and still reappears occasionally. The Hospital Group has always dealt with traumatic injuries to the eyes, whether as the result of industrial or domestic accidents or violence. It also treats inherited diseases, such as the congenital cataracts common in the Palestinian community, as well as all other diseases of the eye, from amblyopia to glaucoma.