Warm welcome: Airbnb to take in 20,000 Afghan refugees
Holiday rental firm Airbnb has announced it will provide temporary housing to 20,000 Afghan refugees across the world.
Details on how Airbnb hosts can support the initiative will be available “in the coming days,” the California-based company said.
“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,” CEO and co-founder of the platform, Brian Chesky, said.
“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,” the CEO tweeted.
No time to waste
Chesky called on other business leaders to help with the housing of Afghan refugees and said there was “no time to waste.”
The cost will be funded through contributions to Airbnb.org from Airbnb and CEO Brian Chesky, alongside donations to the Airbnb.org Refugee Fund.
The platform has already donated to the International Rescue Committee (IRC), HIAS and Church World Service to provide immediate temporary stays in Airbnbs for up to 1,000 arriving Afghan refugees.
Around 165 refugees were able to stay in Airbnbs in the US after being evacuated from Kabul over the past weekend, the firm said.
Some 48,000 people have been evacuated from Kabul airport, which is under the control of US troops, but many more are desperate to flee the country’s Taliban rule.