Good Neighbors

Overview

Good Neighbors is an international relief and development NGO founded in South Korea. Domestically, it works in child abuse prevention, child rights protection, and community welfare; overseas and in North Korea, it engages in development cooperation and emergency relief. It bases its work on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and describes itself as a "global NGO specializing in child rights." Because its founder studied theology, the Christian press frequently classifies it, together with World Vision, Korea Food for the Hungry International, and Compassion Korea, as an organization with Christian roots. In its official self-description, however, the organization states that it provides assistance without regard to race, religion, ideology, or region.

Founding and History

The founder, Il-ha Lee, is a graduate of the Department of Theology at Yonsei University. In the 1970s he reportedly organized poor residents of Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, into medical, consumer, housing, and credit cooperatives. On March 28, 1991, Lee and seven founding members established the Korea Neighbors' Love Society (Hanguk Iutsaranghoe), an incorporated association under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Around the time of its founding, the organization reportedly sent letters requesting support to 20,000 members of the Korean Pharmaceutical Association; about 200 of them responded, and this marked the beginning of its work.

Key milestones include the following:

• Its overseas work began in 1992 with relief for the poor in Bangladesh, followed by refugee relief in Somalia in 1993 and Rwanda in 1994. The organization states that its emergency medical relief in Rwanda was the first by a Korean NGO.
• In 1996 it was reorganized as a social welfare corporation. Around the same time, it became the first private organization to open child abuse counseling centers throughout the country.
• In 1996 it became the first Korean NGO to receive General Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Consultative status entitles an organization to participate in UN meetings and submit its views.
• On August 1, 2002, it unified its separately used Korean name (Hanguk Iutsaranghoe) and English name (Good Neighbors) under the single name "Good Neighbors."
• In 2011 it became the first Korean NGO to be selected as an official partner of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).

Major Activities

• Domestic child rights programs: The organization works in child abuse prevention, support for children in families in crisis or poverty, and child rights advocacy.
• Overseas development cooperation: Rather than one-time relief, it emphasizes helping communities become self-reliant, with residents' cooperatives at the center of its approach. A frequently cited example is its 2009 development and distribution of the "G-saver," a heat-storage heating device for low-income households in Mongolia, along with the establishment of a local social enterprise. The number of countries in which it operates varies by source, ranging from about 40 to 50.
• Aid to North Korea: Its assistance has included dairy and poultry farming equipment, medical support for Pyongyang No. 2 People's Hospital, and support for children's nurseries. According to a 2009 report, it was then running programs at 27 project sites within North Korea.
• Emergency relief: Following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, it joined other Christian service organizations in emergency fundraising and relief efforts.

Organization and Membership

Good Neighbors is not an association of denominations or churches. It is an organization centered on individual donors, whom the founder called "members" from the outset, signifying that he regarded them not as people who simply give money but as partners in building the organization. The organization is divided into Good Neighbors, a social welfare corporation responsible for domestic programs, and Good Neighbors International, an incorporated association responsible for international programs, and it maintains branches throughout the country.

Assessment

Good Neighbors states that it received a perfect overall score for ten consecutive years, from 2016 through 2025, in evaluations by GuideStar Korea, an organization that assesses public-interest corporations. Meanwhile, a column in News & Joy raised concerns about Christian-based NGOs (faith-based organizations) in general, including Good Neighbors, arguing that some of their overseas projects lack adequate field research or fail to give sufficient consideration to local cultures. The column's criticism was directed at such organizations as a whole rather than at Good Neighbors alone.