Giving Pledge philanthropist Yuri Milner launched Tech For Refugees in spring 2022 with his wife Julia. Their initiative supports leading tech organisations that use their networks and expertise to bring aid to the world’s refugees.
While Tech For Refugees funds several humanitarian programmes that operate in global crisis zones, many focus on the emergency in Ukraine. Here are five Tech For Refugees programmes that provide critical assistance for Ukrainian refugees and those still residing in the country.
Shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Airbnb.org announced it would offer free, short-term housing for up to 100,000 people fleeing Ukraine. In April, Tech For Refugees pledged a portion of its initial $100 million commitment to the Airbnb.org programme.
Airbnb.org reached its goal just six months later in August. More than 33,000 Airbnb Hosts from over 90 countries and regions opted into the programme. Ukrainian refugees found accommodation at Airbnb homes in countries like Canada, Denmark, Germany, Romania, Poland, and Hungary.
Flexport.org uses digital freight forwarder Flexport’s logistics platform to deliver relief supplies wherever they’re needed. Tech For Refugees’ partnership with Flexport.org began in April 2022. At this time, Flexport.org had already delivered over 880,000lbs of essential aid, including medical equipment and hospital beds, to Ukrainian refugees.
Funding from Tech For Refugees allowed Flexport.org to coordinate a further 409 aid shipments, improving the lives of more than six million refugees over six months.
In October 2022, Tech For Refugees announced it would contribute a further $5 million to Flexport.org’s Ukraine programme. As a result, two million Ukrainian refugees benefited from 80 more shipments containing $30 million of aid, including food and medical supplies.
In April 2022, Spotify joined Airbnbg.org and Flexport.org in becoming one of Tech For Refugees’ inaugural tech partners. The programme allowed Ukrainian refugees to access Spotify Premium for free. The platform plays an important role in providing users with news, information, and entertainment.
Spotify understands “how connected music is to memory, healing, and hope.” Through Spotify Premium, Ukrainians could access “both vital information and the music that soothes them wherever they are.”
Welcome.US is a U.S.-based non-profit that supports refugees in their resettlement journey. Its innovative, user-friendly platform Welcome Connect allows U.S. citizens to connect with Ukrainians seeking refuge in the U.S.
Welcome.US developed Welcome Connect with the support of Tech For Refugees, Goldman Sachs, ServiceNow, and Infosys. ServiceNow currently hosts Welcome Connect on its Now Platform for free. Plus, integrations with additional platforms like EdApp are in development. Tech For Refugees will financially support Welcome Connect as it scales.
Tech For Refugees teamed up with UNICEF USA in June 2023 to support education for Ukrainian children. The country faces critical educational challenges, with more than 2,300 primary and secondary schools damaged or destroyed since February 2022. This has left nearly two million students dependent on online learning.
To make learning safe and accessible for all children, UNICEF works with local communities and authorities across Ukraine. In 2023, the organisation helped over 1.45 million of the country’s children access education in formal and non-formal settings, including early learning.
Learn more about Tech For Refugees’ programmes.
Yuri Milner is the technology entrepreneur and investor behind influential venture firm DST Global. His charitable organisation the Breakthrough Foundation focuses primarily on science philanthropy. The Foundation’s initiatives include:
? The Breakthrough Prize, which recognises today’s top researchers working in the life sciences, mathematics, and fundamental physics.
? The Breakthrough Junior Challenge, a global, annual video competition for teenagers that inspires creative thinking about science.
? The Breakthrough Initiatives, a group of space science programmes looking into the deepest questions of life in the cosmos.
Yuri Milner has written a short book about his views on humanity’s place in the Universe and our role in its future. Eureka Manifesto: The Mission for Our Civilisation is available to read for free online.
