Newsroom

Originally posted by Mission Matters LIVE!

Thursday, January 21, 2021

Hosts: Megan Mio

Megan talks with Josh Goralski Founder and CEO of Unlocking Communities, a non-profit social enterprise working to provide Haitian church communities the tools and resources necessary to be their own catalysts for economic, social and environmental change. Josh explains where the idea this work came from and how community members in Haiti called for sustainable forms of transformation and growth. He connects this work with the principles of Catholic Social Teaching.

Listen to the whole broadcast here (scroll down to January 21).

Originally published by Things Not Seen

Last year, our guest Josh Goralski joined us on the show to talk about a new nonprofit he had founded to serve the people of Haiti called Unlocking Communities.

Now he is back to talk to us about the lessons he has learned since our last conversation. He talks about some of the challenges that he had not anticipated, as well as the opportunities he did not expect.

This conversation is a must-listen for anyone who is feeling a call to do something greater for those in need in our world.

You can listen to our previous conversation, about the founding of Unlocking Communities, here.

Listen to the podcast here. 

Originally posted by Catholic Chicago Radio

Thursday, February 27, 2020

Hosts: Fr. Greg Sakowicz and Mark Teresi.

Segment II: Josh Goralski, Founder and CEO of Unlocking Communities, a social enterprise that puts economic power in the hands of Haitians to create an environment of self-respect and sustainability.

Listen to the whole broadcast here (scroll down to February 27).

Originally posted by Good Press

Unlocking Communities founder, Josh Goralski, has spent an extensive amount of time in Haiti. He’s seen the challenges that Haitians face, and he’s working to elevate Haiti by putting the economic power into the hands of Haitians themselves.
Unlocking Communities provides resources and training for Haitian entrepreneurs to build sustainable businesses. These entrepreneurs help create healthier communities by selling money-saving water filters and clean burning stoves to people within their communities.

Read the interview below to learn how Josh is implementing this social enterprise model, and his advice for other social entrepreneurs.

Tell me about your organization and the work that you do.
Unlocking Communities works to empower rural Haitians to start small businesses to sell water filtration systems and clean burning stoves. We chose those products because they are products that Haitians are spending a lot of money on — buying charcoal and buying water. There are simple solutions out there that have lacked getting into the hands of the people that really need them. So our model both helps to bring business education training to our sellers and also products to people who need them.

Read the full article here.

Originally published by Things Not Seen

When Josh Goralski was eight years old, a Catholic priest from Haiti came to the Chicago area, and stayed for a week with his family in his home. This visit opened a multi-decade connection of prayer and visits to the island.

Now, Goralski, has traveled to the country 14 times. As he has gotten to know the people and the communities of Haiti, he felt a calling to re-think the approaches that many have taken to their long-term economic problems. Instead of top-down aid, he wanted to see if resources could be directed toward developing an economic base through micro loans and targeted entrepreneurial training.

The result is Unlocking Communities, a nonprofit that gives Haitians hands-on experience in running a small business, using locally-sourced products like water purifiers.

A recent graduate of Loyola University’s Institute for Pastoral Studies, Goralski talks about his many efforts to find the right connection between his heart for mission, and the needs of the people in Haiti.

Listen to the podcast here.