Avi Schiffmann and Marco Burstein: Two Harvard Students Create Website to Help House Ukrainian Refugees

Two Harvard University Jewish students, Avi Schiffmann (left) and Marco Burstein, created a website (UkraineTakeShelter.com) to assist Ukrainian refugees in need of somewhere to live. The site launched on March 3, 2020; within a week, more than 4,000 people had posted listings offering shelter to Ukrainian refugees. Previously, Schiffmann created what became the world’s most popular website for tracking COVID-19 infections (ncov2019.live). He was a high school student at the time.
 
Quote: “The idea was born when Avi Schiffmann attended a pro-Ukraine demonstration while visiting San Diego, where he came face to face with hundreds of Ukrainian Americans sharing distressing stories and pleading for help. ‘I remember thinking, I know how to design websites with big platforms, so how could I not do anything to help?’ Schiffmann, 19, told CNN. ‘They need assistance, immediately and on a really big scale, and I had to find a way to make that happen as soon as possible.’ ”
 
Sources: Introduction from Wikipedia, quotation from CNN
 
Learn more about Avi Schiffmann from Wikipedia. ►
 
Watch “Students create website to help house Ukrainian refugees | Prime” [5:11]. ►
 
Read “‘I couldn’t sit there and do nothing’: These teens created a website matching Ukrainian refugees with hosts offering shelter [cnn.com]” ►
 
Image: Courtesy photo
 
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