How local people have offered electronic help to Ukrainians

Glamorgan Star news 28/03/2022

5 minutes read

How local people have offered electronic help to Ukrainians

When Rhian Robson from Barry had a ‘lightbulb moment’ with a simple idea of helping people in Ukraine by making Airbnb bookings, she only intended it to be a small-scale venture among her friends. But within 48 hours of it appearing on social media, it had been shared more than 1,500 times as the concept went viral.

The idea came about entirely by accident. Rhian’s husband Darren Newton is an avid Liverpool FC fan and goes to as many games as possible, but his job at the Rockwool factory in Pencoed meant travelling to Anfield for the midweek FA Cup tie against Norwich at the start of March would have been difficult, as he was due to come off a night shift early that morning.

Darren didn’t especially mind skipping that match, but he feared that by not going, he would miss out on seeing Liverpool play in the latter stages of the Champions League as the club prioritises regular match-goers when allocating tickets for the big occasions.

Rhian suggested that her husband bought a ticket for the Norwich game, even though he wouldn’t be going, so he could secure a seat for the upcoming Champions League encounters, and it was then that she had her ‘lightbulb moment’: “It suddenly occurred to me that if my husband could buy a ticket to a match at Anfield and not go, then what was to stop me from booking an Airbnb in Ukraine, sending them the money and a goodwill message, while not actually going?

“I’d read an article online about the impact on workers in Ukraine, and in particular about a hotel worker who said they’d all been laid off with huge numbers of people cancelling their bookings.

“Hotels are often owned by bigger companies, but Airbnb facilities are usually owned by individuals, families or small businesses, and I thought it would be nice to do something to help them at this worrying time.”

Social worker Rhian paid £39 for three nights at an Airbnb in Kiev, and she sent the owner a goodwill message as well as informing her that she wouldn’t actually be travelling.

Rhian then told her friends what she had done via a WhatsApp group, and one of them suggested she put it on her Facebook page.

News of what Rhian had done spread fast, and her Facebook post was shared more than 1,500 times in 48 hours, reaching users as far away as Canada and New Zealand: “I took my message down after that because I was getting a bit worried, it freaked me out a bit if I’m honest,” she said.

The Airbnb owner Rhian helped is called Olga, and a few days after making the booking, she sent Rhian a message to tell her she had reached safety in Germany.

Rhian’s friend Paula Harvey, an accounts office worker from Barry, also booked an Airbnb in Kiev after reading the Facebook post: “My whole family were deeply affected by the news reports we’d seen from Ukraine.

“These were people just like us, who had gone through a tough couple of years with Covid, and now this has happened to them. One minute you’re sitting in your nice, cosy house, the next minute you’ve got no house, and you’re fleeing for your life with your children.”

Paula had already taken part in a charity donation scheme, but felt she could do more to help: “We’d already gathered clothes, toiletries and baby nappies to someone whose work was taking them out there, but it didn’t feel like we were doing enough. My main thought was ‘who would help me if this happened in our country?’”

“We made sure that the Airbnb facility we chose was run by an individual or a family. We picked one at random and there was a picture of the man, his wife and a small child. I knew then that this was the one for me.

“We made sure we hadn’t duplicated it with someone else taking part in the initiative, and the money was just a little something for them.”

“I sent him an email to say we in Britain were very sorry to see what was happening there and we wanted to help. I told him that obviously we wouldn’t be coming over, but that we hoped the money would come in handy and God bless them.

“He sent me a reply, which was lovely, and I know it’s reached him safely,” she said.

Paula is keen to house a Ukrainian refugee in her home in the near future: “My sons are grown up now and there’s only one left at home.

“There’s certainly room for one refugee, or maybe two in our spare room. I’ve spoken to my husband and we would want to be helped if we needed it, so this feels like the right thing to do,” she said.

Charlie Ann O’Brien, an office manager from Penarth decided to get involved with the Airbnb initiative, partly because her friend Hannah’s brother-in-law lives in Kiev with his nine-year-old-daughter: “Hannah told me that there was literally nowhere for people to stay. They were leaving all their possessions behind and getting out as quickly as they could.”

Charlie explained the complexities affecting many people in Ukraine who are seeking safety at the moment. She said: “Hannah’s brother-in-law is not a Ukrainian citizen, but he’s had sole custody of his daughter since she was three.

“However, since he is not a Ukrainian citizen, he’s not eligible for refugee status in neighbouring Hungary.

“He paid his mortgage off last year, and he’s had to leave everything behind. I ask that people please remember the plight of people living in the country who aren’t classed as Ukrainian citizens, because they are really struggling to find safety right now.”

The £40 Charlie and her family of four normally spend each week on takeaways are now going towards booking two nights in Ukraine on Airbnb, and she intends continuing with the initiative in the weeks ahead.

“I was on Instagram one morning and my friend shared a post showing the Airbnb idea. It seemed like a very simple way of helping, but by the time I read it, word had spread and there weren’t that many places left.

“I felt helpless watching the news reports and I really wanted to do something. We don’t really need our weekly takeaway, and this is an easy way of helping people who are suffering terribly at the moment,” she said.

Charlie received an email from the first Airbnb owner she supported, who thanked her for her kindness, and said she looked forward to welcoming her family to Ukraine in happier times.