The move was announced by Airbnb’s CEO on Tuesday.
The boss of holiday rental company Airbnb has announced that the company will help house 20,000 Afghan refugees, describing the situation as “one of the biggest humanitarian crises of our time.”
On Tuesday, Brian Chesky revealed on Twitter that Afghan refugees would be housed for free, and encouraged people to reach out if they are willing to host a refugee family.
The Airbnb c0-founder wrote: “Starting today, Airbnb will begin housing 20,000 Afghan refugees globally for free.
“While we will be paying for these stays, we could not do this without the generosity of our Hosts.
“To make this happen, we are working closely with Airbnb.org, NGOs, and partners orgs on the ground to support the most pressing needs.
“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!”
While we will be paying for these stays, we could not do this without the generosity of our Hosts.
— Brian Chesky (@bchesky) August 24, 2021
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!
— Brian Chesky (@bchesky) August 24, 2021
He continued: “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.
“I hope this inspires other business leaders to do the same. There’s no time to waste.”
I hope this inspires other business leaders to do the same. There’s no time to waste.
— Brian Chesky (@bchesky) August 24, 2021
Thousands of refugees are fleeing Afghanistan following the Taliban’s swift takeover of the country.
Countries across the world have offered to take in refugees, with the US and UK making efforts to evacuate their own nationals and eligible Afghans from the country.
Related links:
British people are already offering their homes to Afghan refugees
First Afghans land in UK after pledge to take in 20,000 refugees
Putin won’t evacuate Afghans in case ‘militants show up under cover of refugees’
But the Taliban have set a deadline of August 31 for both nations to remove all of their troops and presence from Kabul airport. The militant group have warned that any extension ot this deadline would cross a “red line.”
UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told the BBC on Tuesday that 2,000 people have been evacuated in the last 24 hours. However he has warned that “the scale of the challenge means that not everyone will get out.”
