CHARITY
Charitable activity
The United, Religious, Military and Masonic Orders of the Temple and of St John of Jerusalem, Palestine, Rhodes and Malta give considerable support to the Jerusalem Eye Hospital through collections at Preceptory and Great Priory meetings as well as at Social Events.
The Province of Northampton Huntingdon and Bedford particularly supports this effort.
The St John Eye Hospital
The St John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem is a charitable foundation of the (non-Masonic) Venerable Order of St John, the oldest charity in the world.
The Hospital is located in East Jerusalem and was founded in 1882. Whilst it treats all who seek its care, irrespective of race, creed or ability to pay, the reality is that it serves the predominantly Arab populations of the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem (population more than 3 million) for whom it is the sole provider of quality Ophthalmic care and professional training. Eye disease causing blindness is ten times more common in this region than in developed countries.
More than 94,000 patients were treated in 2008. Furthermore, a permanently staffed clinic is maintained in Gaza and there is a very active outreach programme of mobile clinics to the villages and refugee camps in the West Bank. The Hospital is run as a heavily subsidised fee-based establishment, about 75% of its income being derived from donations and grants.