Prince Harry and now Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle have a unique wedding registry — instead of gifts, they asked their guests to donate to any of seven carefully-picked charities.
The Myna Mahila Foundation is the only foreign charity on the list. Founded by Duke University alumn Suhani Jalota, the Mumbai-based organization focuses on menstrual health issues in India. Myna currently helps 10,000 women a month, “employing women to make their own pads and educate other women on the importance of menstrual hygiene,” Jalota wrote in Glamour.
Jalota met Markle at Glamour’s 2016 College Women of the Year Awards, and noted that she was “approachable” and “enthusiastic” when discussing women’s empowerment issues. When Markle learned about Jalota’s mission and the problems with menstrual health in India — including the fact that 50 percent of women use unhygenic methods for dealing with their periods — she reached out to Jalota a few months later, hoping she could meet some of the women in the Myna slum.
Jalota reflected on Markle’s “down to earth nature” and impressive prior knowledge before meeting with the women. She noted that Markle “wasn’t visiting to talk about the problems; she was interested in figuring out solutions.”
Markle’s actions were aligned with Jalota’s mission for the foundation, as she hopes to continue focusing her efforts on the female hygiene market. “If I really want to do more action-based and implementation-based things, then we want to work with these women to create something,” Jalota told The Chronicle.
Jalota attended the royal wedding and was able to meet with Markle again during the reception.
“She hasn’t changed,” Jalota said. “She’s still the same old Meghan I met in New York and after that in India.”