The Justice, Development and Peace Commission (JDPC) of the Catholic Archdiocese of Jos has launched a four-year peacebuilding project targeting vulnerable women, youths, internally displaced persons (IDPs) and persons with disabilities in Plateau and Kaduna states.
The project, tagged: “Peacebuilding, Accountability, Resilience and Local Solutions (PeARLS)”, is funded by Christian Aid and will be implemented in partnership with the Christian Council of Nigeria (CCN).
The initiative was inaugurated on Thursday under Christian Aid’s Community-Led Peacebuilding Signature Programme.
Speaking at the event, the Coordinator of JDPC, Ms Benedict Daber, said the project would be implemented in Riyom and Bassa Local Government Areas of Plateau State, as well as Kaura and Kauru Local Government Areas of Kaduna State.
She said the project was designed to respond directly to challenges confronting vulnerable groups while strengthening locally-led mechanisms for conflict prevention, dialogue, reconciliation and social cohesion.
“This project is intentionally designed to respond directly to the challenges confronting women, youths, IDPs and PWDs,” Daber said.
She explained that PeARLS would operate through five interlinked pathways covering inclusive peace platforms, transformed relationships, early warning and early response, climate-resilient livelihoods, as well as accountability and learning.
According to her, the initiative would strengthen peaceful relationships and support communities to develop local solutions to conflicts rather than relying solely on external interventions.
“The project is not importing peace; it is investing in the peace that already exists in communities,” she said.
Daber added that the project would also seek to rebuild trust where relationships had been damaged, amplify the voices of marginalised groups and strengthen mechanisms for preventing violence before it occurs.
She said the intervention would combine peacebuilding with resilience and accountability to enable communities to better respond to emerging conflicts and other challenges.
