#aidrefugees: when digital diplomacy meets Silicon Valley
Tech companies respond to the Syrian refugee crisis
The White House has asked Silicon Valley companies to do what they can to aid the Syrian refugee crisis.
“Americans from all different parts of the country have seen the suffering that is going on and asked themselves how best we can help — and I think it’s just up to each company themselves to come up with an idea how best to respond,” Jason Goldman, the White House chief digital officer, told Techcrunch.
Silicon Valley giants like Airbnb, Twitter, and Kickstarter quickly responded to Obama’s call, as UN Ambassador Samantha Power and National Security Advisor Susan Rice reported.
Airbnb partnered with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and Mercy Corps to offer free housing for aid workers in the areas most affected in the region. They have also launched a donations page on behalf of the the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
Twitter engineers developed and launched a donation mechanism months ahead of plan in order to allow NGOs working on the refugee crisis to raise funds on its platform.
Kickstarter has partnered with USA for UNHCR, the US Committee for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, with a crowdfunding campaign to provide refugees worldwide with the necessities to survive and rebuild.
“Any sum, large or small, can make a difference for refugee families,” highlights a campaign by Instacart. Just like Kickstarter, the company has partnered with USA for UNHCR to donate food rations for refugee families. The food rations will help feed exhausted refugee families, many with children, who are fleeing persecution and conflict.
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