The booking schedules are full but the accommodations are empty.
In the face of conflict, humans will always find a way to help others in need.
In the beleaguered nation of Ukraine, citizens found a novel kind of support. The kind that puts together compassion, generosity, creativity, and technology.
The movement for Ukraine started online.
A Twitter user, shared an idea to support Ukraine and her citizens through Airbnb. Airbnb is a company that connects people to property owners who offer accommodation alternatives for those who are visiting the area.
The public, seeing that Airbnb systems are still up in the country, began booking accommodations. They don’t plan on visiting Ukraine at this time, but they’re also not planning to cancel their reservations either.
Ukrainian property owners have been receiving money through this initiative.
Members of the concerned public have been booking a day to a week’s stay and encouraged others to share the idea.
All over Twitter, users have been posting the replies they’ve been receiving from their hosts. Hosts wished their “clients” well as they exchanged messages of encouragement.
“I hope that you, and your lovely apartment, are safe and that this horrible war is over … and Ukraine is safe,” one of the tweets said, as quoted by CNN. “I will come and see you one day, please count on it, and will stay with you when we visit. God bless you and God be with you, your city, your country.”
Airbnb joined the initiative as well.
“We appreciate the generosity of our community during this moment of crisis,” an Airbnb spokesperson said. “Airbnb is also waiving all guest and host fees on all bookings in Ukraine at this time.”
Furthermore, they’ve pledged to give free housing to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees to make sure that they have a place to stay as the conflict unfolded. The company said that they received an “overwhelming response” when their dedicated page for the initiative received hundreds and thousands of visits.
“In a global humanitarian crisis like this I think everyone should ask the question: how can we help,” Brian Chesky, chief executive and co-founder of the company, said. “The way Airbnb can help is we provide housing for millions of people every night all over the world. If you want to take in a refugee family, we are going to work with resettlement partners.”
Airbnb also issued a warning to the people intending to join the cause.
They said that people should also be careful as scammers can take advantage of the situation by setting up fake accounts.
They ask people to scrutinize their bookings to make sure that help will go to the people who truly need them.
A host shared to CNN that while banks are closed in some cities and payments can be delayed, the outpour of financial support is comforting especially at a time filled with terror and anxiety. He also said that the one thing they appreciate more is the words of support they get from strangers all over the world.
To know more about how you can help through AirBnB, you can visit this link.
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