Mumbai Organization Among Charities Chosen by Meghan Markle, Prince Harry for Wedding Donations

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who will get married on May 19, have chosen a Mumbai-based organization among the charities that would receive donations on the occasion of the royal wedding. Myna Mahila Foundation, a charity working to support women in India, is among the charities that well-wishers of the couple can make donations to, instead of sending wedding gifts, the Kensington Palace announced on April 9.

“Prince Harry and Ms Meghan Markle are incredibly grateful for the goodwill shown to them since the announcement of their engagement and are keen that as many people as possible benefit from this generosity of spirit,” the Kensington Palace said in a statement. They have, therefore, asked that anyone who might wish to mark the occasion should consider making a donation to charity, rather than sending a wedding gift, it added.

The couple has personally selected seven organizations they would like to support, including the Myna Mahila Foundation that was visited by Markle last year. The Hollywood actor saw the kind of work the charity was involved in and also wrote about it in Time Magazine, the statement said.

“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, empowering local women through access to menstrual hygiene products and employment opportunities,” Suhani Jalota, the founder of the organization, said, according to the statement.

The Kensington Palace also took to the social media to make the announcement

Next up is @MynaMahila, which empowers women in Mumbai's slums by providing them with a trusted network, stable employment & the chance to grow as individuals & businesswomen, and breaks taboos around menstrual hygiene. https://t.co/suzul1y9cw pic.twitter.com/eIG3GP6bW7

— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) April 9, 2018

The foundation addresses the issue of menstrual hygiene management at its roots. It works within the Govandi slum dwellers in Mumbai, and is helping raise awareness around menstruation by bringing affordable sanitary products directly to women. The charity also empowers its staff through training in women’s health, English, Math, and life skills such as self defense.

“I traveled to Delhi and Mumbai this January with World Vision to meet girls and women directly impacted by the stigmatization of menstrual health and to learn how it hinders girls’ education,” Markle wrote in Time magazine last year after she visited the organization. “The namesake of the organization, Myna Mahila Foundation, refers to a chatty bird (‘myna’) and ‘mahila‘ meaning woman. The name echoes the undercurrent of this issue: we need to speak about it, to be ‘chatty’ about it,” she added.

Markle and Prince Harry have chosen charities representing a range of issues that they are passionate about, including women’s empowerment, conservation, homelessness, HIV, sport for social change, and the Armed Forces. Among the organizations chosen by the couple is CHIVA (Children’s HIV Association), which supports children growing up with HIV and their families across the United Kingdom and Ireland, and StreetGames,which uses sport to help people and communities in the United Kingdom become healthier, safer and more successful. Another charity selected by the couple is Crisis that works for the homeless.