The ladies of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Women Association were out Sunday afternoon, collecting garbage found along Sideroad 5 in Bradford, as part of their initiative for a cleaner community.
Just this past summer, the association adopted two sections of roadways in Bradford, one along Yonge Street from Line 8 to Line 12, and another on Sideroad 5 from Line 12 to Highway 89, as part of the Adopt-a-Highway program through Simcoe County. Adopted roadway sections are usually anywhere from two to five kilometres in length.
The program allows volunteers to pick up litter along certain county road rights-of-ways with residents, community organizations, private business and industry contributing to a cleaner, healthier environment.
Under the program, groups and individuals agree to adopt a section of a Regional right-of-way and keep it clean. In addition to the satisfaction of creating a cleaner environment, the volunteers are recognized through signs erected on the adopted roads.
On Sunday, 14 members of the assosciation collected garbage along 5 Sideroad in between Line 12 and Highway 89, between Bradford and Innisfil. Once garbage bags were full, the women set them on the side of the road for the county to come pick up.
"We believe that “cleanliness is half of faith,"said Sadaf Naseem, outreach secretary for Ahmadiyya Muslim Women Associationn, Bradford. "This inspired us to take on this project as a way to give back to our community by keeping it clean."
The group had previously cleaned up their adopted roadway section along Yonge Street, and were happy to be out on the weekend to clean up Sideroad 5.
Throughout the pandemic, the group has been unable to gather in congregational prayers. They miss their weekly and monthly events in the Ahmadiyya Muslim community. Instead they have been meeting online through Zoom calls.
"Our members are working on adopt-a-road while keeping the social distancing protocols," said Naseem. "We missed celebrating the Muslim heritage month in the Library Zima room and at our schools. I hope we will be able to do so next October."
