The browser you are using is not supported. Please consider using a modern browser.

Skip Navigation
Act Now Donate
Start of main content.

News // Community Engagement

Global Refuge OpEd: How Businesses Can Help Afghan Refugees | Baltimore Sun

Global Refuge logo

Global Refuge Staff

December 10, 2021

Global Refuge In USA Today: How Businesses Can Help Afghan Refugees

Krish O'Mara Vignarajah is the president and chief executive of the Global Refuge. She co-authored the below OpEd for USA Today with Joe Gebbia, Co-Founder of Airbnb and Chariman of Airbnb.org

“It has been more than three months since the world was gripped by the images and stories of Afghans fleeing their country to safety. Since then, tens of thousands of Afghan refugees have made it to the USA in search of new beginnings. From Texas to Wisconsin, refugees who have completed the vetting process are beginning to leave military bases where they’ve been housed since arriving here and moving into communities where they’ll resettle to build new lives.

Global Refuge (LIRS) has been working around the clock to welcome our new Afghan neighbors, including by offering temporary housing through Airbnb.org while they await permanent housing. Americans across the country – including U.S. military veterans and members of communities that had themselves arrived here as refugees – have stepped up to offer a warm welcome to Afghan refugees, and we are grateful for their generosity and support. Anyone – regardless of whether or not they’re an existing Airbnb host – can sign up to welcome Afghan refugees into their homes by visiting airbnb.org/refugees”

Read on USA Today

Take Action For Afghan Refugees

Visit our online hub to learn more about the dangers facing Afghan allies, our advocacy to protect them, video resources, and ways you and your community can make a difference.

Take Action

Make a Donation

Whether you give once or monthly, your donation will help Global Refuge to provide intensive support to newly arrived refugees, to place vulnerable children in safe, loving homes, and to empower new Americans to become successful, contributing members of their communities.

Give Now

The Latest

  • News

    October 7, 2025

    A Refugee’s Journey to Student of the Year

    Naima arrived in the United States with her husband and three young children, ready to start a new life. A refugee from Somalia, Naima had limited education and resources but hoped her new country would give her the opportunity to find stability and success. And she was more than willing to put forth the effort needed to realize her dreams. 

    Read More
  • Press Release · Refugee Resettlement

    October 6, 2025

    Refugee Cap to be Set at Record Low 7,500 in FY 2026

    The Trump administration is reportedly setting a refugee admissions ceiling of only 7,500 people for Fiscal Year 2026, with most slots reserved for Afrikaners from South Africa. Global Refuge, a leading national refugee resettlement nonprofit, expressed alarm around the sharp drop from the annual cap of 125,000 in Fiscal Year 2025 as global displacement continues to reach historic highs.

    Read More
  • News

    October 1, 2025

    Welcoming Through Service

    Susan Lyke’s commitment to welcoming refugees has grown out of a lifetime of experience. She’s lived in countries like Macedonia and Pakistan, where daily life was far less secure than in the U.S., and has seen firsthand the kinds of hardship—war, poverty, persecution—that force people to flee their homes. 

    Read More
  • News

    September 16, 2025

    Jamilah: Starting a New School Year in Safety

    For Jamilah*, this school year begins in a very different place. This time last year, the 15-year-old was living with extended family in Pakistan and facing a very uncertain future. Her parents were already in the United States—the family had been separated due to delays in immigration processing—and were desperate to bring her to safety with them.

    Read More
  • News

    September 4, 2025

    Behind-the-Scenes at NPR/WAMU’s “1A” show

    Krish O'Mara Vignarajah, President and CEO of Global Refuge, joined NPR's "1A" to discuss the erosion of legal humanitarian pathways and the ongoing "de-documentation" of vulnerable populations.

    Read More

Share