Cambridge: Two Harvard University freshmen launch website designed to connect migrants Ukraine For those in safe countries who are willing to take them and it is offering assistance and housing around the world.
Inspired by the plight of Ukrainian refugees desperate to escape Russian bombings in the former Soviet republic, Marcos burstein18, of Los Angeles, and Aviak shiffman19, of Seattle, used his coding skills to build UkraineTechshelter.com in three frenzied days in early March.
Since then, more than 18,000 potential hosts have signed up on the site to provide support to refugees seeking matches with hosts in their preferred or convenient locations. Most recently, Burstein and Schiffman logged 800,000 users.
“We’ve heard all kinds of wonderful stories of hosts and refugees connecting around the world,” Burstein said in an interview on the Harvard campus. “We have hosts in almost any country, from Hungary and Romania and Poland to Canada to Australia. And we’re really blown away by the response.”
Five weeks into the invasion, which killed thousands on both sides, the number of Ukrainians fleeing the country exceeded 4 million, half of them children, according to United Nations, Schiffman, who is taking a semester off to work on several projects, told Miami that he was inspired to use his Internet activism to help after attending a pro-Ukraine rally in San Diego.
“I thought I could actually do something on a more global scale here,” he said. “Ukraine Tech Shelter puts the power back in the hands of the refugee, they are able to take the initiative and find listings and get in touch with the hosts themselves, rather than just getting in touch with them. Eastern Europe In winter time.”
Among those who receive refugees through the website is Ricard MizarovA resident of the southwestern Swedish city of Linköping, who shares his home with a 45-year-old Ukrainian evacuee Oksana FrantsevaHis 18-year-old daughter and their cat.
Mizarov and his wife signed up at an embassy indicating they would help, but then stumbled upon the Harvard students’ site and registered there as well.
“The next morning, I had a message from Oksana asking if we had room for her,” he said in an interview via Zoom. “It quickly became a reality.” “I was amazed at how quickly Ricard responded to me,” said Frantseva, stopping the English. Five days later, she, her daughter and their pet were at the front door.
Burstein and Schiffman set the stage with the particular concerns of combatant refugees. They worked to make it as easy as possible so that anyone in immediate danger could enter their location and view the offers of assistance that were closest to them.
On the hosting side, they also gave potential hosts the opportunity to tell what languages they speak; how many refugees they can accommodate; And any restrictions on taking small children or pets.
To help avoid human trafficking and other threats that face vulnerable refugees, the platform encourages displaced persons to ask hosts to provide their full names and social media profiles, and request video calls that What accommodation are they offering?
“We know this is a potentially dangerous situation, so we have a lot of steps in place to ensure the safety of our refugees,” Burstein said. “We have a detailed guide that we give to all refugees to help the host verify that they are talking to make sure the person they are talking to on the phone is the one they are talking to. meeting people.”
Two students say they are trying to arrange a meeting with UN refugee agency officials, and they also want to work with Airbnb, VRBO and other online vacation rental companies.
Till now, he has borne all the expenses for web hosting and Google translate cost for college students. But they are determined to keep going for as long as possible and are considering registering as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit so they can apply for grants.
Back in Sweden, Mizarov admitted that opening his home was a bit awkward, but he has no regrets. “This is the first time we’re doing something like this,” he said, sitting next to Frantseva. “But they’re great people. So, yeah, it’s going well.”
Inspired by the plight of Ukrainian refugees desperate to escape Russian bombings in the former Soviet republic, Marcos burstein18, of Los Angeles, and Aviak shiffman19, of Seattle, used his coding skills to build UkraineTechshelter.com in three frenzied days in early March.
Since then, more than 18,000 potential hosts have signed up on the site to provide support to refugees seeking matches with hosts in their preferred or convenient locations. Most recently, Burstein and Schiffman logged 800,000 users.
“We’ve heard all kinds of wonderful stories of hosts and refugees connecting around the world,” Burstein said in an interview on the Harvard campus. “We have hosts in almost any country, from Hungary and Romania and Poland to Canada to Australia. And we’re really blown away by the response.”
Five weeks into the invasion, which killed thousands on both sides, the number of Ukrainians fleeing the country exceeded 4 million, half of them children, according to United Nations, Schiffman, who is taking a semester off to work on several projects, told Miami that he was inspired to use his Internet activism to help after attending a pro-Ukraine rally in San Diego.
“I thought I could actually do something on a more global scale here,” he said. “Ukraine Tech Shelter puts the power back in the hands of the refugee, they are able to take the initiative and find listings and get in touch with the hosts themselves, rather than just getting in touch with them. Eastern Europe In winter time.”
Among those who receive refugees through the website is Ricard MizarovA resident of the southwestern Swedish city of Linköping, who shares his home with a 45-year-old Ukrainian evacuee Oksana FrantsevaHis 18-year-old daughter and their cat.
Mizarov and his wife signed up at an embassy indicating they would help, but then stumbled upon the Harvard students’ site and registered there as well.
“The next morning, I had a message from Oksana asking if we had room for her,” he said in an interview via Zoom. “It quickly became a reality.” “I was amazed at how quickly Ricard responded to me,” said Frantseva, stopping the English. Five days later, she, her daughter and their pet were at the front door.
Burstein and Schiffman set the stage with the particular concerns of combatant refugees. They worked to make it as easy as possible so that anyone in immediate danger could enter their location and view the offers of assistance that were closest to them.
On the hosting side, they also gave potential hosts the opportunity to tell what languages they speak; how many refugees they can accommodate; And any restrictions on taking small children or pets.
To help avoid human trafficking and other threats that face vulnerable refugees, the platform encourages displaced persons to ask hosts to provide their full names and social media profiles, and request video calls that What accommodation are they offering?
“We know this is a potentially dangerous situation, so we have a lot of steps in place to ensure the safety of our refugees,” Burstein said. “We have a detailed guide that we give to all refugees to help the host verify that they are talking to make sure the person they are talking to on the phone is the one they are talking to. meeting people.”
Two students say they are trying to arrange a meeting with UN refugee agency officials, and they also want to work with Airbnb, VRBO and other online vacation rental companies.
Till now, he has borne all the expenses for web hosting and Google translate cost for college students. But they are determined to keep going for as long as possible and are considering registering as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit so they can apply for grants.
Back in Sweden, Mizarov admitted that opening his home was a bit awkward, but he has no regrets. “This is the first time we’re doing something like this,” he said, sitting next to Frantseva. “But they’re great people. So, yeah, it’s going well.”