The Russian invasion of Ukraine has already resulted in 400,000 Ukrainian refugees fleeing their homes. While countries around the world hasten to speed up visa applications and provide safe refuge, many companies are trying to do their bit too.
Rental platform Airbnb has announced that it will provide temporary housing for up to 100,000 refugees from Ukraine. The scheme will be coordinated through Airbnb.org, the company’s non-profit arm, but will all be funded by Airbnb itself.
The org will partner with resettlement agencies in Ukraine to find refugees in need. It will also encourage Airbnb ‘hosts’ to volunteer their rentals to the scheme, before paying the costs of keeping refugees.
But isn’t this all just a marketing ploy, you (cynically) ask? Well, maybe – but Airbnb does actually have experience in using its platform to house refugees. Just last week, the company announced that it had successfully housed 20,000 Afghan refugees.
In any case, when it comes to Ukraine, 100,000 is a seriously huge number and the scheme could certainly have a big impact. So, if you’d like to volunteer your home? Find out how to get involved here.
Want to do your bit to help? Here are 15 other ways you can support the people of Ukraine right now.