Global Overseas Adoptees’ Link, a nonprofit organization in Seoul for overseas Korean adoptees, is seeking funds to help pay for a relocation of its offices after rent became unaffordable.

GOA’L provides support programs for overseas adoptees from Korea, including a mentor program, help with language and visa issues and First Trip Home, which organizes trips to Korea for adoptees for the first time since they were adopted.

An increase in rent forced GOA’L to move its offices from Hongdae to nearby Mangwon-dong.

GOA’L secretary-general Nikolaj Leschly said the move would not affect services long-term and that the new location was easier to find and get to than their previous location.

But while the rent is lower, the relocation has led to costs including those for heating and cooling equipment and new signage to meet regulations.

Leschly said the government helped fund their programs but not operating costs.

“We very much appreciate that the Korean government supports our organization and adoptees in this capacity and hope that it will continue to do so for many more years to come. However, government funding does not support operational costs, so we must cover those expenses with corporate sponsorship, membership dues and donations,” he said.

“Unfortunately, the total amount of funding we generate is not enough. Each year we receive hundreds of requests from adoptees from all over the world, but we are barely able to keep up with the demand due to insufficient funding for staff.”

The money raised will go toward two heating and cooling units and window stickers to replace their signs, which local regulations do not allow GOA’L to use.

Leschly said that he hoped to hire full-time funding staff to prevent future financial gaps.

“To really lift GOA’L out of this cycle of peaks and valleys, we need to hire a full-time staff member to work in fund-raising and grant writing,” he said. “It is my ultimate goal this year to find the funding to create this position and I hope this fund-raiser will help get us part of the way there.”

For more information and details of the fund-raising effort, visit http://bit.ly/1OzD430.

By Paul Kerry (paulkerry@heraldcorp.com)