The Justice, Development and Peace Caritas JDPC was established by the Conference of Catholic Bishops in 1967 in response to the summon of the Second Vatican Council which states that the Church should be concerned in the building of a Just and Peaceful world, and that presence of peace is not just absence of war. His Holiness Pope Paul VI’s encyclical letter ‘Populorum Progressio’, focused on the development of people, that the ‘progressive development of people is an object of deep interest and concern to the Church.’ The essence of this commission is to awaken in the people of God full awareness of their mission on earth and to further the progress of poorer nations and international social Justice. In the light of this, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria established Justice, Development and Peace in order to help people of all faith to break away from the cycle of poverty through community-based sustainable development initiatives.
JDPC Awka as a social arm of Catholic Diocese of Awka, Anambra State was founded in 1986, and registered as non-profit making organization under Anambra State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development in 2003. It was formally registered with Corporate Affairs Commission CAC in April 23, 2015, as Justice Development and Peace Caritas (JDPC) Awka.
