Royal Wedding: Meghan And Harry Ask Friends To Donate To Mumbai Charity Instead Of Giving Them Gifts
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have asked their famous friends not to inundate them with expensive gifts, but instead donate to charities they have hand-picked from the UK and abroad reflecting their shared values.
According to NDTV, Meghan and Harry have chosen seven charities to which they would like donations to be made. One of the charities is the Mumbai-based Myna Mahila Foundation — the only one among the seven which is based outside the UK. The foundation assists poor women living in Mumbai’s slums gain access to sanitary products and information about menstrual hygiene. Moreover, the organization employs local women to produce low-cost sanitary pads, providing them with employment opportunities. They ultimately want to reach out to more urban slums, something which will be amply aided by the royal couple’s trust in them.
“We employ women from urban slums in Mumbai to manufacture and sell affordable sanitary pads back into their communities, improving menstrual hygiene, providing stable employment, and building a trusted network,” reads their website.
Meghan visited the organization during her India trip last year and made a commitment to help the fantastic work being done by the local women in the community.
Suhani Jalota, the founder of the organization, said that Meghan Markle has lived up to her promise by asking the royal couple’s friends to donate to the Myna Mahila Foundation. Jalota, along with a couple of workers from the foundation, were even invited to the UK to attend the wedding — an honor which has not been lost on the women.
“We are all very excited to be representing India at the celebrations. We are so honored that she [Markle] chose us and kept her word that she would help us in every way she can. Myna Mahila Foundation is delighted to be a part of this special occasion for Ms. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. This support will enable us to expand our reach into more urban slums in Mumbai.”
Markle was particularly impressed by how the organization was helping mothers equip their daughters with information about menstrual health, as well as empowering them through training in women’s health, English, math, and life skills such as self-defense.
This is the first time that a royal couple has specifically asked the attendees of the wedding to donate to charities instead of giving them gifts. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry definitely mark a positive new shift by showing that the royal household is no more far removed from the tribulations that plague people around the world.
Apart from the Mumbai foundation, the other charities that are on Meghan and Prince Harry’s wish list are Crisis, Scotty’s Little Soldiers, StreetGames, Surfers Against Sewage, CHIVA, and The Wilderness Foundation UK.
