In a tweet late Monday night, Airbnb CEO and co-founder Brian Cesky called the relocation and resettlement of Afghans “one of the greatest humanitarian crises of our time.” The CEO went even further, saying that his company was obliged to “intensify its activities.” As a result, refugees will now be housed in real estate listed on Airbnb, funded by Chesky and Airbnb donations, as well as contributions to the Airbnb.org Refugee Fund, a $ 25 million program launched in June to support displaced persons and asylum seekers.
Starting today, Airbnb will begin housing 20,000 Afghan refugees globally for free.
— Brian Chesky (@bchesky) August 24, 2021
The United States said Monday that it has evacuated about 48,000 people from Afghanistan in recent days, while thousands are still trying to flee for fear of reprisals by the Taliban in power.
The main exit is Kabul Airport, where huge crowds of people gather in the exhausting heat. The Taliban has set an airport evacuation deadline of August 31, and there are fears that many who want to leave the country will not be able to do so.
It is unclear how much Airbnb will spend on the program or how long it will cover the stay, but the company said it would “develop and support the initiative as needed,” according to CNBC .
Cesky urged Airbnb owners to “contact him” if they wanted to accept the refugee family, and promised to connect them with the right people in the company.
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Companies of all shapes and sizes are quick to support victims during the Great Depression; it is an opportunity to show charity and strengthen public relations in the process.
Airbnb, which is valued at about $ 92 billion, often offers to cover the cost of housing in emergencies. It says that since 2012, 75,000 people have found a place to live during the crisis.