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Airbnb is giving free accommodation to 20,000 refugees fleeing Afghanistan
The company’s boss has said the move is in response to ‘one of the biggest humanitarian crises of our time’
Airbnb will be offering free accommodation to 20,000 Afghan refugees seeking asylum as a part of its charitable non-profit, airbnb.org.
The rental company, which is popular among holiday makers and short-term renters, will work with a number of Airbnb hosts who are willing to offer their homes to refugees for free or at a discounted rate, with Airbnb.org picking up the rest of the bill.
Airbnb co-founder and chief executive, Brian Chesky, will also fund the effort. He said in a statement: “While we will be paying for these stays, we could not do this without the generosity of our hosts.
@filios_sazeides / Unsplash
“If you’re willing to host a refugee family, reach out and I’ll connect you with the right people here to make it happen.
“The displacement and resettlement of Afghan refugees in the US and elsewhere is one of the biggest humanitarian crises of our time. We feel a responsibility to step up.”
Chesky added: “I hope this inspires other business leaders to do the same. There’s no time to waste.”
“As tens of thousands of Afghan refugees resettle around the world, where they stay will be the first chapter in their new lives. For these 20,000 refugees, my hope is that the Airbnb community will provide them with not only a safe place to rest and start over, but also a warm welcome home.”
The company is yet to confirm where or for how long it will be housing refugees, with it simply calling the situation ‘fast evolving.’ It instead stated that it will ‘collaborate with resettlement agencies and partners to go where the need goes, and evolve this initiative and our support as necessary.’
As it stands, Manchester has welcomed more than 1,000 Afghan refugees, who are currently been housed in three hotels near the airport.
The UK government plans to welcome 20,000 more refugees across the next four years.
For more information on how you can help the refugees fleeing Afghanistan, visit the following links:
British Red Cross
UNICEF
AllWeCan.org
United Nation Refugee Agency
Refugee Council