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No one is visiting warn-torn Ukraine right now, but Airbnbs are being booked anyway, in an aid campaign that has gone viral.
The movement appears to have stemmed from meme account @quentin.quarantino who shared the idea on Thursday to “as a way to send immediate monetary assistance to people in hard-hit areas.” It was then shared by Airbnb’s co-founder and chief executive officer Brian Chesmy.
“Dear Jennifer….!!!!!!! I’m just crying !!!!! I’m just crying right now !!!!! I’m shocked!!!! I am incredibly grateful for your support!!!! I have no any words!!!!” was just one of the messages from an Airbnb host shared by @quent.quarantino.
Airbnb itself announced earlier in the week that it would offer free, short-term housing to 100,000 refugees fleeing from Ukraine as Russia’s invasion of the country deepens.
Airbnb said it would waiive fees for the empty Ukraine bookings.
Married actors Mila Kunis, who was born in Ukraine, and Ashton Kutcher announced they would match up to $3 million in donations in their own campaign aimed at raising $30 million. The GoFundMe will support Flexport.org and Airbnb, “two organizations who are actively on the ground providing immediate help to those who need it most,” the post said. The campaign has raised just over $3 million.
Flexport is organizing relief shipments to refugee sites across Poland and other countries.
Uber
UBER,
also announced this week it will give free rides out of Ukraine and donate to aid groups. Across Europe, individuals have opened their homes to the approximately one million people who have fled the fighting in the growing humanitarian disaster.
Fighting between Ukraine and Russia, whose forced invaded that country more than a week ago intensified on Friday, leaving places such as such the port city of Mariupol without electricity, water or heat.
Read: War in Ukraine: Fire extinguished at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant after Russian attack
One Twitter user countered that rather than book an empty Airbnb, the best way to help was to still give directly to aid organizations on the ground, such as Doctors Without Borders and the Red Cross.
Also see: Here’s how you can donate food, medicine and shelter to Ukraine
