name: Johanniter International
text: Johanniter International (JOIN) is the name given to a cooperative effort at the European and international level, where the Enterprises of the Orders of St. John have decided to cooperate for mutual benefit in full consciousness of the rich traditions of Christian charity.
  
  The members of JOIN have each been founded by one of the four Orders of St. John. The clear majority of the currently 13 member organisations are based in European countries, while one non-European enterprise, the St. John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem, is also a member of JOIN.
  
  Today, the charitable work of the Orders of St. John is carried out by the Orders themselves or by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) founded by the Orders. They serve as non political non-profit organisations. The statutes of the enterprises correspond to the regulations of the country they are based in. The main aim of the original Order of the church, some 900 years ago, was to help the sick and needy. That still is the core of the mission of modern Christian Orders and their enterprises. Within this mission, the individual enterprises focus on special fields of aid such as ambulance, first-aid training, care for the elderly, youth work, medical aid in hospitals, aid for refugees, international humanitarian aid, etc.
  
  Johanniter International (JOIN) is much younger than its members: At the international meeting of the enterprises of the Orders of St. John, in the course of celebrations to mark the 900th anniversary of the Order of St. John on May 14, 1999, the idea to cooperate more intensively within Europe was born.
  
  At the international meeting of the enterprises of the Orders of St. John in Riga/Latvia from June 29 to July 2, 2000, various possibilities of internal and external dissemination of European values by the present organizations were discussed. Improving cooperation with institutions of the European Union and the realization of common projects were defined as the general goals.
  
  In Riga, a letter of intent was agreed upon; the letter included an outline of the structure and contents of future cooperation. The representatives of the Alliance of the Orders of St. John passed a resolution in BÃ¢le on October 20, 2000, confirming the intentions of their enterprises.
  
  Thus, the signatory organisations agreed to cooperate and work together at the European and international level in awareness of the tradition of Christian charity, to which the Order of St. John has been committed for several centuries under the name of Johanniter International, Enterprises of the Orders of St. John (JOIN).
  
  Since February 2006, JOIN has been registered as a formally recognised non-profit association in Belgium. The official status in French is: "Association sans but lucratif".
  
  http://www.johanniter.org/