Amid the water crisis in Flint, Mich., the Arab American Heritage Council (AAHC) has partnered with local churches, mosques, United Way, Red Cross and several other relief groups and donors to provide water and filters to residents city-wide.

Mona Sahouri, Executive Director of AAHC (member organization of the National Network for Arab American Comunities), said buying water could be a massive financial burden, even on middle class families.

"When you talk about purchasing bottled water for everyday use, you're not just talking about drinking water. You're talking about water for bathing, water for cooking, water for washing the dishes," she told The Arab American News.

AAHC is also specifically reaching out to Arab American residents to share the resources that are available to them. There are almost 50 Arab American families living in the most vulnerable, high-risk areas of Flint that are suspected of having the most lead contamination. 

Sahouri told The Arab American News that Flint's Arab American residents often do not interact with the wider community and get their news from Middle Eastern satellite TV channels rather than local media. AAHC has translated several vital documents and informational handouts into Arabic for those effected members of the community who need those services. 

Read the full article: Arab American residents hard hit by Flint crisis

AAHC is also reaching out to local universities, Muslim Student Associations and youth groups to recruit more volunteers to deliver water and filters to distribution sites at local churches and to homes in cooperation with the Red Cross.

AAHC is also planning educational events to bring in Arab American physicians and health professionals to teach the community about the risks of lead poisoning, provide testing and translated literature.  

For more information on AAHC's work or to volunteer, call 810-235-2722.