4 heartening ways Germans are helping out refugees

People arrive at the Central Registration Office for Asylum Seekers in Berlin
(Image credit: Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

German Chancellor Angela Merkel made a strong statement Monday urging her European Union colleagues to take in more migrants, many of whom are refugees fleeing war zones like Syria and Iraq. About 20,000 migrants entered Germany last weekend alone. It's not just Merkel and other government officials trying to make them feel welcome. Here are some of the ways German citizens are doing their part, as ABC News reports:

1. People are hosting refugees through an Airbnb-like portral: One Berlin couple started Refugees Welcome in November 2014 as a way of temporarily housing people in need. Interested Germans with beds to spare are matched with refugees based on accommodations available, languages spoken, and location. A sister website has cropped up in Austria.

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Julie Kliegman

Julie Kliegman is a freelance writer based in New York. Her work has appeared in BuzzFeed, Vox, Mental Floss, Paste, the Tampa Bay Times and PolitiFact. Her cats can do somersaults.