Two teenagers in the United States created a website that links to Ukrainians who escaped the war, with people offering to host them in different parts of the world. the website is called Ukraine Take Shelter and the creators behind this project are Marco Burstein, 18 years old and Avi Schiffmanage 19, both Harvard students.
“I went to a rally in San Diego, against the invasion. And there were about 100 people, and there I thought I could do something else, something that would generate a greater impact and that’s how I thought about making this website”, Schiffmann said in dialogue with Infobae, from his home in Seattle, United States, where he is now because he is taking a short break from university where he is studying neurophilosophy. “It’s a combination of neuroscience, psychology and philosophy,” she sums up.
Name, Avi Schiffman, became known a little over two years ago because he was one of the pioneers in creating the site ncov2019 to track cases of coronavirus that were reported around the world.
How the page works
The purpose of the Ukraine Take Shelter page is to be a public listing, in which the host displays their contact information and then the refugee can contact him or her. “We wanted to design it to be secure and also intuitive. The person looking for accommodation goes to the site, enters their location and finds a list of possible places to stay”, says the creator of this website.
When entering the site, a search bar is seen in the upper margin for the refugee to enter their location or where they are going, a list of people willing to provide accommodation immediately appears.
It does not include the name, surname or photo of these people, but simply their approximate location (neighborhood, area), if they accept pets, the languages they speak, the number of people they can host and their contact information such as phone number, WhatsApp, Telegram or other messaging service to establish communication.
In other words, the conversation does not take place within the platform but outside it. The site simply appears as a list to unite two parties: the one looking for accommodation and the person willing to host.
Schiffman points out that from the point of view of those who offer hosting, it is very easy to create a profile on the site. The portal can be viewed in the local language from which it is opened and is constantly being updated.
“We have been working closely with many humanitarian organizations across Europe, receiving feedback from them and adding more features, tags and translations. based on the comments received,” he says.
He adds: “We are trying to perfect the website and we will work to add more things and eventually help refugees around the world, and not only those who come from Ukraine, because there are many conflicts and humanitarian crises all over the world, not only there”.
The developer clarifies that the most interesting thing about the site is to function as a bridge to connect people who need help with other people willing to help.
“What I really like about this is that it puts the power back in the hands of the refugees. They can take the lead, view listings and contact hosts on their own, without having to feel so powerless. Instead of going into some Google form, Facebook group, or some black box and hoping someone will contact them eventually, here they do it on their own,” he says.
He clarifies that he does not specifically like to program but to help. ”What I really like is to make things that are very useful for the widest variety of people. I’m really interested in seeing what is a good user experience, what is a good user interface, what do consumers really want, what is a well-designed product,” she says. And he adds: “I want to take the skills that I have and apply them to these humanitarian efforts that are really coolbut I also have big plans, to make big technology companies and stuff, but I really want to try to make positive technology that affects daily life, like the car you drive and the phone you use,” he summarizes.
He says that he made the site in a few days, with the help of his partner. They both learned to code by following YouTube videos. He clarifies that he never paid any course to learn this discipline because simply all the knowledge is available on the web, it is just a matter of searching and spending time, he says. In his vision, all you need is a phone and an internet connection to learn programming.
“It is possible to become an advanced web developer and earn more than 100 thousand dollars easily (by watching free video tutorials). There is a lot of demand and not many people have these skills.” analyze.
Asked about his future plans, he says he wants to do “something big” in an area that links technology with neuroscience, which is why he decided to study neurophilosophy at university.
“I want to have as much impact as I can with brain-computer interface issues.. If I can do it correctly and positively, it will have a positive impact for millions of years,” she concludes.
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