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Uber and Miles4Migrants to Provide Transportation for LGBTQ+ Refugees and Asylum Seekers

Starting this Pride Month, Uber is launching a ride credit fund that will assist Miles4Migrants in their mission of helping refugees and asylum seekers fly to safe homes, using donated frequent flyer miles and credit card points.

San Francisco, CA – Today, Uber announces that it has launched a ride credit fund to support Miles4Migrants in their mission to help refugees and asylum seekers reunite with loved ones and reach safe homes, using donated frequent flyer miles and credit card points. By partnering, Uber and Miles4Migrants will provide an end-to-end transportation service for refugees and asylum seekers in need of relocation assistance, many of whom are members of the LGBTQ+ community.

“At Uber, we believe that technology and good partnerships have the potential to contribute to a better world for all,” said Julia Paige, Uber’s Global Director of Social Impact. “Uber supports and celebrates the LGBTQIA+ and refugee communities. We are proud to partner with Miles4Migrants to enable those impacted to live safely with peace and acceptance.”

Miles4Migrants is a 501(c)3 organization that works through a network of 50+ nonprofit partners, including UNHCR and the IRC, to identify individuals with legal approval to travel to or within their resettlement country but who cannot afford airfare. The nonprofit’s in-house booking team, made up of experts in travel rewards booking, works to identify the best award flight options, and then matches the flight with a donor. To date, Miles4Migrants has flown over 4,500 people from 78 countries of origin.

Uber’s ride credits will be used to support Miles4Migrants and their partners in transporting refugees and asylum seekers from detention centers or temporary homes to the airport and onward to their final destination.

“For members of the LGBTQ+ community, who have faced violence, persecution, and discrimination at the hands of their governments, communities, and often even their own family, finding new homes in supportive communities is their greatest chance at living lives of freedom and safety,” said Andy Freedman, Co-founder of Miles4Migrants. “During Pride Month, we are honored to partner with Uber to help people reach safe, supportive homes and communities.” 

Those looking to support the LGBTQ+ community can donate their frequent flyer miles, credit card points, travel vouchers or cash to help Miles4Migrants reunite separated refugees and asylum seekers around the globe, including those who are part of the LGBTQ+ community. Flights booked with these donations will be supported by Uber’s ride credit fund.

For more information on the partnership or to donate to Miles4Migrants, please visit miles4migrants.org/pride.

How Miles4Migrants helps

We collaborate with a network of global non-governmental organization (NGO) partners who work directly with refugees and migrants to identify and verify individuals who are financially unable to afford air travel. Once our partners submit flight requests, we use donated frequent flyer miles, credit card points, travel vouchers, and cash to eliminate transportation barriers for the most vulnerable individuals affected by war, persecution, or climate disaster. Our goal is to help these individuals reunite with their loved ones and start a new life in a safe environment.

Learn more about us in our FAQ

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– According to the United Nations, there are currently 108 million individuals forcibly displaced from their homes worldwide.  

– The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that seeking asylum is a fundamental human right. Everyone has the right to life and liberty. Everyone has the right to freedom from fear. Everyone has the right to seek asylum from persecution.

As migration is often the last option for survival, migrants may embark on clandestine journeys, subject to danger, extortion, and inhumane conditions

Once they finally get legal approval for resettlement, migrants face another challenge that makes the journey seem impossible: the transportation costs.

There are many ways for you to get involved and help us continue our work:

You can donate cash to help us cover operational expenses or contribute your unused air miles, credit card points, or travel vouchers to help us book flights for refugees and asylum seekers. Additionally, you can help us spread the word about our cause and our impact on the lives of those we serve.

Every donation, no matter how big or small, has the power to make a difference. Thank you for considering supporting our mission.

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