Amman, Feb. 21 (Petra) - Secretary-General of the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Ismail Al-Khatba, on Saturday, launched the "Together for a Cleaner Neighborhood" initiative during a meeting held via Zoom with heads of volunteer teams, in the presence of members of the central team.

The volunteer teams formed by the ministry from students of Quran centers across the kingdom operate according to weekly plans to implement the national cleanliness strategy and curb random littering, under the supervision of a central team chaired by the secretary-general.

Al-Khatba said the initiative targets neighborhoods surrounding mosques across the kingdom, affirming that the message of volunteer work begins from the mosque and extends to the local community. He praised the notable activity witnessed in various governorates during the past week.

He noted that volunteer teams carried out field activities extending from north to south, coinciding with the launch of "Mosque Care Week," highlighting clear efforts in a number of mosques that contributed to attracting new youth to engage in volunteer work. He confirmed that foundations have been set to allocate an annual award to be granted to ten distinguished teams, in addition to honoring individual initiatives, with the aim of enhancing positive competition and consolidating a culture of institutional work.

Al-Khatba called on the teams to document their activities and send visual materials to the media committee in preparation for announcing the third initiative during a meeting to be held next week.

He added that the ministry will launch, in cooperation with telecommunications companies, 250,000 text messages targeting youth to encourage participation in initiatives, contributing to expanding the volunteer base and transforming it into a sustainable societal culture.

//Petra// AF