Airbnb, the online accommodation platform, and its charitable organization said this week they would be providing housing for 20,000 Afghan refugees fleeing the Taliban’s takeover of the country.
Chief executive Brian Chesky said this is “one of the biggest humanitarian crises of our time” and called for other leaders to follow his lead in supporting the Afghanis. “I hope this inspires other business leaders to do the same. There’s no time to waste,” he said.
The company has not specified for how long they planned to support the refugees. What was specified is that they planned to support short-term and long-term housing. The offer started immediately and they would be working with non-governmental organizations “on the ground” to help with the most pressing needs.
Also, it is known that the costs of the accommodations are to be covered with money from Airbnb, its chief executive, Brian Chesky, and contributions from the Airbnb.org Refugee Fund, which was launched in June with the goal of raising $25 million.
The organization is working with resettlement agencies and offered to support federal and state governments.
“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,” Mr. Chesky said.
Airbnb said it would release more details soon about how people might help.
Since the takeover of Kabul by the Taliban, thousands have been displaced and the crisis only continues to scale up. This Thursday an attack at the Kabul airport left dozens dead, including 13 U.S. troops. The U.S. struck back on Friday with an attack in Nangahar, a Province of Afghanistan.
President Biden had said the U.S. would strike back after Thursday’s bombing, saying “We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay.” As days pass, the tensions only arise while the future of the displaced is still in limbo.
