Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine has created an immense humanitarian crisis in Eastern Europe. Because the conflict is occurring almost 10,000 kilometers away, it can be easy to overlook the struggle. The growing catastrophe has birthed massive relief efforts, both inside and outside of Ukraine.
Amidst the turmoil, a new alternative to traditional forms of donating has appeared. Instead of donating to relief organizations, people are choosing to support Ukrainians monetarily by directly purchasing goods from citizens.
Rachel Parrott, a Northeast Portland resident, has been supporting Ukrainians in need by booking stays at Airbnbs across the country.
Parrott was immediately struck by the Ukrainian crisis and sought out ways to help. She began by donating to sites like UNICEF, hoping to aid refugee camps. But soon after, an Instagram account with the username “quentin.quarantino,” who Parrott has followed since the beginning of the pandemic, started posting about Ukraine and new ways to donate.
March 2, 2022, “quentin.quarantino” shared his idea of renting Ukrainian Airbnbs and not staying in them. Its purpose was to put money directly in the pockets of Ukrainian citizens.
The idea quickly gained traction. Just 2 days after “quentin.quarantino’s” first post, Brian Chesky, the CEO of Airbnb, was already impressed by the number of donations made on the site.
“In 48 hours, 61,406 nights have been booked in Ukraine. That’s $1.9M going to hosts in need.” Chesky tweeted. In support of the movement, Chesky waived all external fees for booking in Ukraine, ensuring all money given goes directly to hosts.
Locating Ukraine as a travel location on Airbnb’s site is easy, but deciding exactly which owner to donate to can be a little more complicated. Parrott uses a method that not only gives to specific people in need, but locations in need as well.
Parrott picked locations directly endangered by the occupation of Russian forces. Her choices included Kherson, which is now occupied by Russian forces, Irpin, a suburb of Kyiv, and the city of Kyiv itself.
When it came to which people in these places to donate to, Parrott had another plan. “Specifically I chose places that it was one person, it was like, really their home … if you go to their profile in Airbnb, I looked at, like, what was listed, and it was like family and urban, it was like their upstairs bedroom. Like it was these people’s actual home that they had fled.”
Purchases on these sites don’t just provide communities with money, they can be a message of hope and support from across the world. The response from Ukrainian Airbnb owners to those who have donated has been full of gratitude. Parrott alone has received comments from every citizen she has helped. One read, “Our town is invaded with Russian soldiers strolling around the town with guns and tanks. We are all so scared, but our nation is strong with your support and help. We are invincible!”
Some hosts are passing the money along to different Ukraine-based charities. Although every host has a different idea of what to do with the donation, Parrott is certain the money is going to the best places possible. “They’re like, are we allowed to give your money to someone else? Like, please give it to whoever needs it,” she says. “The people who are, you know, fleeing or staying and hiding or fighting, those are the people who know where the money should go right then.”
Just two weeks after the original Instagram post, Chesky updated his Twitter, saying that 434,000 nights had been booked on the site and a total of $15 million was going directly to hosts in Ukraine.
Donating through direct purchases offers a way to help that is affordable (purchases on Airbnb start around $50) and direct. However, donations to the Red Cross and UNICEF still prove to be impactful. Parrott believes that those who are able should donate through both.
Parrott didn’t stop with Airbnb. She has also given money by purchasing Ukrainian digital art on Etsy, which is an online marketplace for small businesses.
Donating through Etsy can be a little tricky given that once an item is bought, it must be shipped out to whoever buys it.
Parrott found that buying digital downloads gets around this obstacle and allows for donations to go to Ukrainian citizens without any strain on them. “Etsy does digital downloads, we bought some digital artwork. Because again, that was something that someone in Ukraine didn’t have to like, pack up and send in the middle of a war, it was just immediately upon us paying for it. So we bought a couple of different prints from a gal in Ukraine.”
A multifaceted crisis requires a multifaceted relief effort. Donations on sites such as Airbnb and Etsy are unconventional, but can provide important and immediate support. Parrott believes this support is essential as the conflict continues to unfold. “We just went through a pandemic. Now we’re going through a war in Europe for the first time since World War II. People are actively looking for ways that they can do something immediately. And so that’s why I really like this, because it was something that I could do immediately.”
