K-pop fandom Aroha supporting the communities in need 

The bushfires in Australia. The volcanic eruption in Indonesia. And most recently, the worldwide spread of coronavirus. This year has kicked off with a startling amount of devestations, and community support is more crucial than ever. Here at Good Neighbors Australia however, we are fortunate to have been in contact with Aroha.

But who or what exactly is Aroha? Well, Aroha is the fandom of K-pop group ASTRO, and as of February 2020 they have raised donations for the Support a Community program with Good Neighbors Australia.

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“We decided to conduct a fundraising project in commemoration of Astro's 4th anniversary. We wanted to use the artists' (Astro) and fandom's (Aroha) strength to help out those in need and decided to go through Good Neighbors after looking into a few organisations. We hope to do this as a yearly event and in small ways, help others achieve the life they want,” an Aroha representative says.

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Donations towards this initiative will go towards helping local communities in the Philippines and Vietnam in areas including poverty-reduction, water sanitation and more.

The Support a Community Program is at the heart of Good Neighbors' efforts in making the world a better place. Good Neighbors partners have more than 210 Community Development Projects (CDP) across 43 countries, as a base of our program implementation. Good Neighbors' CDP-based approach contributes to broader service delivery by addressing the community's needs and covers: Water & Sanitation, Education, Health & Medical, Income Generation and Emergency Relief.

Aroha is not the only fandom to show their support for the community though. Several other supporters of Hallyu stars, such as BTS’ ARMY, have also recently fundraised a significant amount to several causes including aiding those affected by the coronavirus pandemic in South Korea. It is heartening to hear about stories of community support across the globe, and really shows how human compassion shines during times of strife.

Good Neighbors' programs all aim to increase the quality of life in the community. To any groups that want to make social contributions, Good Neighbors Australia is the organisation to go to. Feel free to contact us either on social media or via our contact page, as we are welcome to any collaborations that any groups wish to do. May we all strive towards creating a better tomorrow!