Young Developers Match Ukrainian Refugees with Shelter

3 days. That’s how long it took two 18-year-olds to design, code, and release a website that solves one of the most discussed impacts of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. 

With some estimates saying that 10 million Ukrainians have been displaced thus far by the war, matching refugees in need of a home with willing and able hosts was a problem without a simple solution. 

Determined to buck the red tape too often encircling government processes, friends and Harvard students Avi Schiffmann and Marco Burstein spent 72 hours doing little more than coding (and ingesting a few bites of food as needed). 

Following their sprint, a website was released. Its name: Ukraine Take Shelter. Quickly, 4,000 matches had been made. 

As for the motivation behind the remarkable creation, Schiffmann explained the conflict he felt in being stirred by the war yet being so far removed from the solutions on the ground. 

As he told CNN, "For me, I'm behind a computer across the world, which is what I'm good at, but it's very disconnected sometimes," Schiffmann said. "To see so many people from countries in every corner of the world doing something to help these refugees, who need and deserve safety, is really inspiring."

The initiative is a perfect example of a common superpower among Biz Kids: mental resistance to the concept that something that’s always been hard, lengthy, or risky needs to remain so. 

As the Ukrainian government said themselves, thank you, Avi and Marco.

Looking for more inspiring stories of young entrepreneurs who give back? Check out our episode, Businesses That Give Back.