Airbnb, Save the Children Sweden partner to assist Ukrainian refugees

Save the Children is assisting Airbnb's nonprofit affiliate, Airbnb.org, in providing safe, free housing for Ukrainian refugees in Sweden.

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As part of the A Safe Start initiative, Save the Children Sweden will book and coordinate the temporary stays for refugees "regardless of nationality, race, ethnicity, or how they identify," through Airbnb.org, which facilitates temporary stays for people in moments of crisis, according to Airbnb.  

Save the Children Sweden isn't alone in this effort. Under this initiative, the Swedish business community and several nonprofit organizations, including Save the Children Sweden, have been working to provide "faster assistance to people fleeing from Ukraine to Sweden."

Over 200,000 Ukrainian refugees are estimated to arrive in Sweden by June, bolstering the "urgent need for short-term housing," according to Airbnb. 

For the last several weeks, Airbnb.org has been establishing partnerships with several international and regional nonprofits that are "active on the ground" in Europe to help facilitate free housing for up to 100,000 refugees fleeing Russian forces.

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In addition to Save the Children Sweden, Airbnb.org has established partnerships with the German government, HIAS  and Nova Ukraine as well as with the International Organization for Migration, which is connecting refugees to short-term housing in Poland, Moldova, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia, according to the company. 

Save the Children Sweden CEO Helena Thybell said "collaboration" is key in providing safe shelter for as many refugees as possible during this crisis. 

"In an emergency like this, there is a huge risk that families on the run will be forced into less safe forms of housing in sports facilities, or even tents," Thybell said. "There are also risks associated with initiatives that lack security systems or support structures for families who host displaced people."

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Since Russia invaded Ukraine at the end of February, tens of thousands of people have either signed up to host a refugee through Airbnb.org or donated to the organization. 

To date, more than 27,200 people have signed up to offer their homes for free or at a discount.