September 5, 2023 • 9 mins
Today we're highlighting the work of social entrepreneur, scholar and activist Suhani Jalota.
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
Hey, this is Anny and Smantha and welcome to Stefan
Never Told your production Viaheart Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
And for today's feminists around the world, we are introducing
I guess not really some of y'all already know who
she is, but not all of us. We are introducing
a social entrepreneur, a scholar, an activist, Shani Jelata. And
at the young age of twenty five, I think she's
like twenty five twenty six now, Jelata has already made
a huge impact around the world and is continuously working
(00:43):
to change the world for the better. And her work
is very interesting because we've been talking a lot about
periods and about trying to get more access to products
and what that looks like, period tax and all of that.
And of course there are those out there who understand
the bigger, deeper implications of that, and she is one
of those. And Jelata noticed that at the age of fourteen,
(01:05):
the disparities when it came to the rights of women
and those in lower income and social statuses of India.
At the time, she had been diagnosed with an illness
that led her to see how differently people were treated
and knew she needed to do something to advocate for
those in different communities, and if you listen to any
of our interviews about her past, she credits her mother
and her grandmother for their influence on her. She was
(01:27):
talking about how her mother really stood up for her
gender rights, even though they were very much in a
patriarchal system. They understood that there's something wrong, and she
credits them for the influence and her love and passion
to be an advocate today.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
After her recovery, she went to different communities to see
how she could help. She told the Global Citizen. When
I started going to the Thumbs just after I had
recovered from the illness, I started working with women on
the ground. They were telling me stories with a smiling
face about getting married at the age of twelve, abused
by their husbands much much older than them, drunk all
(02:03):
the time, asking them for money. So the women are
working four to five jobs, taking care of all the children,
feeding the children because the husbands are earning absolutely nothing.
They're walking long distances to public toilets, then are harassed
on their way to the toilet. They've seen their children die.
They've accepted this as the norm. Those women didn't think
(02:26):
anyone cared about what they wanted. Instead, life was about
doing whatever they could to survive.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
And she knew with all the different things happening in
those communities, she couldn't solve anything by coming in to
quote just fix things, but needed to educate and offer
solutions that can be implemented and taught. She goes on
in the same article talking about advice she had gotten
from her mentor who said you cannot come in to
solve their problems. Doctor Jaquin R. Putam told her that's
(02:55):
not what's going to change anything. It's about them solving
their own problems. You need to just give them enough
inner and confidence to be able to do that. And
just for reference here, doctor Arputum has been kind of
an expert when it comes to the Indian communities, especially
those in what's considered the slums or the low income
(03:17):
impoverished communities and populations. You can find ted talks from him.
Fyi who discovered this, Yes more than us, absolutely so.
She noticed the common theme as she spoke to the
different women. She continues saying minstrel hygiene and sanitation was
something that preserved or exposed a family's dignity. She says,
(03:40):
we needed to have these difficult conversations that would bring
up gender in the household.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
And she has been having that difficult conversation for ten
years now. In twenty fifteen, Jelata, along with a few
other women started the Mina Mahida Foundation, which works to
empower young women and girls and to provide necessary items
and support women India. Here's what Jalata, who is also
the CEO of Mina, a bird from South Asia that
(04:05):
is known for its loud tones and voice, Mihila Foundation.
Here's what she said about the foundation and their annual report.
Mina Mahuila Foundation started in twenty fifteen with the mission
to provide voice to women all over the world and
marginalized communities by creating a network of young female entrepreneurs.
We needed to make sanitary pads because we wanted every
(04:26):
woman every woman to have access to them. Because Mina
was started by the same community members who was intended
for the producers are our consumers. We go door to
door to educate and distribute pad packets. We hold meetings
and courses with them and counsel them to work and
respect themselves.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
And their vision and mission. According to Minamahala dot Com
is one improving mistral hygiene, and it goes on to
explain knowledge about mistraation and hygienic habits are curtailed by
stigma and taboos in the Indian society where talking about
period is not allowed. Mina is tackling the very issues
of mental hygiene management at its roots. Working with the
(05:07):
Govandhi slum dwellers communities, Mina is helping to raise awareness
aroundministration and bringing affordable sanitary products directly to the women
in need by manufacturing low cost, high quality sanitary napkins
more affordable than what is already present on the market
and selling them on a door to door scheme. Two.
Generating female employment in slums. Mina was built as a
(05:29):
social enterprise with a clear vision of wanting to generate
employment for women by creating a workplace and environment that
tries and succeeds to tackle the constraints used as arguments
to prevent women to enter into the labor force. It
is a safe space at walking distance from their home
that provides them a steady salary in flexible timings adapted
to their social context. Mina Mohila is more than an
(05:51):
employer in by slums. It was created by women for
women and is as such a woman's entrepreneurial project.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
And three women's networks mean it provides the family for
the women where we take care of them professionally and
personally to help them grow as individuals and business women.
Our employees are not simply here to work. They are
also here to learn and to engage in the dynamic
community of women who stand up to get their rights acknowledged.
(06:18):
They are motivated by the same cause speak up about
women's issues, starting with the basic need for proper menstrual hygiene.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
Yeah, and she's been doing a lot of amazing work.
I'm just thinking about the fact that we have places
like Florida which are saying that they can't talk about periods,
which is again the same stigma that she is fighting.
So oh the irony? Is that irony or is that
just tragic? Anyway, strategy and yeah, what she is doing
(06:51):
has brought a lot of attention to the foundation and
the needs of women of India. One of the big
things that she talks about is the fact that she
has collaborate and continues to collaborate with Megan Markle, as
we know former Duchess. I guess because they renounce. I
don't renounce their titles. But she has been a part
of their foundation because she loved what they were doing.
(07:13):
And of course she has been recognized for her hard
work as she should be. At the Duke University graduate
has been awarded with the Forbes thirty Under Thirty Asia
twenty eighteen. Is a Queen's Young Leader from twenty seventeen
representing India. Was one of Glamour's Women of the Year
in twenty sixteen and at Duke University, she was a
(07:33):
Baldwin Scholar of Women's four Year Leadership Program and a
Melissa and Doug Entrepreneurship a Fellow twenty sixteen that actually
helped her found the Mina Mahela Foundation and was a
Global Citizen Prize Cisco Youth A Leadership Award nominee in
twenty twenty. Obviously she's doing so much more. The foundation
from Mardykendell is thriving, has been a big help in
(07:56):
India during the pandemic as well. So yeah, they're doing
a lot of work. She continues on is still the
CEO and has been a force when it comes to
being an advocate and working for the women of India.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
Yeah, and that's that's such an important thing and it
is a conversation all over the world. So great work
and as always, well I'm sure we'll have an update
in the future about what she's doing in the meantime.
Listeners as always, if you have a suggestion for this segment,
please let us know. You can email us at Steph Media,
(08:30):
mom Stuff at iHeartMedia dot com. You can find us
on Twitter at mom Stuff Podcast, on Instagram and TikTok
that stuff I've never told you. We do have a
tea public store and we have a book. You can
get it now at stuff You should read books dot com.
Thanks as always to our super producer Christina, our executive
producer Maya, and our contributor Joey. Thank you and thanks
to you for listening. Steff I never told you the
(08:52):
production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from my Heart Radio,
you can check out the heart Radio app, Apple podcast,
or if you listen to your favorite shows,
Hey, this is Anny and Smantha and welcome to Stefan
Never Told your production Viaheart Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
And for today's feminists around the world, we are introducing
I guess not really some of y'all already know who
she is, but not all of us. We are introducing
a social entrepreneur, a scholar, an activist, Shani Jelata. And
at the young age of twenty five, I think she's
like twenty five twenty six now, Jelata has already made
a huge impact around the world and is continuously working
(00:43):
to change the world for the better. And her work
is very interesting because we've been talking a lot about
periods and about trying to get more access to products
and what that looks like, period tax and all of that.
And of course there are those out there who understand
the bigger, deeper implications of that, and she is one
of those. And Jelata noticed that at the age of fourteen,
(01:05):
the disparities when it came to the rights of women
and those in lower income and social statuses of India.
At the time, she had been diagnosed with an illness
that led her to see how differently people were treated
and knew she needed to do something to advocate for
those in different communities, and if you listen to any
of our interviews about her past, she credits her mother
and her grandmother for their influence on her. She was
(01:27):
talking about how her mother really stood up for her
gender rights, even though they were very much in a
patriarchal system. They understood that there's something wrong, and she
credits them for the influence and her love and passion
to be an advocate today.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
After her recovery, she went to different communities to see
how she could help. She told the Global Citizen. When
I started going to the Thumbs just after I had
recovered from the illness, I started working with women on
the ground. They were telling me stories with a smiling
face about getting married at the age of twelve, abused
by their husbands much much older than them, drunk all
(02:03):
the time, asking them for money. So the women are
working four to five jobs, taking care of all the children,
feeding the children because the husbands are earning absolutely nothing.
They're walking long distances to public toilets, then are harassed
on their way to the toilet. They've seen their children die.
They've accepted this as the norm. Those women didn't think
(02:26):
anyone cared about what they wanted. Instead, life was about
doing whatever they could to survive.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
And she knew with all the different things happening in
those communities, she couldn't solve anything by coming in to
quote just fix things, but needed to educate and offer
solutions that can be implemented and taught. She goes on
in the same article talking about advice she had gotten
from her mentor who said you cannot come in to
solve their problems. Doctor Jaquin R. Putam told her that's
(02:55):
not what's going to change anything. It's about them solving
their own problems. You need to just give them enough
inner and confidence to be able to do that. And
just for reference here, doctor Arputum has been kind of
an expert when it comes to the Indian communities, especially
those in what's considered the slums or the low income
(03:17):
impoverished communities and populations. You can find ted talks from him.
Fyi who discovered this, Yes more than us, absolutely so.
She noticed the common theme as she spoke to the
different women. She continues saying minstrel hygiene and sanitation was
something that preserved or exposed a family's dignity. She says,
(03:40):
we needed to have these difficult conversations that would bring
up gender in the household.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
And she has been having that difficult conversation for ten
years now. In twenty fifteen, Jelata, along with a few
other women started the Mina Mahida Foundation, which works to
empower young women and girls and to provide necessary items
and support women India. Here's what Jalata, who is also
the CEO of Mina, a bird from South Asia that
(04:05):
is known for its loud tones and voice, Mihila Foundation.
Here's what she said about the foundation and their annual report.
Mina Mahuila Foundation started in twenty fifteen with the mission
to provide voice to women all over the world and
marginalized communities by creating a network of young female entrepreneurs.
We needed to make sanitary pads because we wanted every
(04:26):
woman every woman to have access to them. Because Mina
was started by the same community members who was intended
for the producers are our consumers. We go door to
door to educate and distribute pad packets. We hold meetings
and courses with them and counsel them to work and
respect themselves.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
And their vision and mission. According to Minamahala dot Com
is one improving mistral hygiene, and it goes on to
explain knowledge about mistraation and hygienic habits are curtailed by
stigma and taboos in the Indian society where talking about
period is not allowed. Mina is tackling the very issues
of mental hygiene management at its roots. Working with the
(05:07):
Govandhi slum dwellers communities, Mina is helping to raise awareness
aroundministration and bringing affordable sanitary products directly to the women
in need by manufacturing low cost, high quality sanitary napkins
more affordable than what is already present on the market
and selling them on a door to door scheme. Two.
Generating female employment in slums. Mina was built as a
(05:29):
social enterprise with a clear vision of wanting to generate
employment for women by creating a workplace and environment that
tries and succeeds to tackle the constraints used as arguments
to prevent women to enter into the labor force. It
is a safe space at walking distance from their home
that provides them a steady salary in flexible timings adapted
to their social context. Mina Mohila is more than an
(05:51):
employer in by slums. It was created by women for
women and is as such a woman's entrepreneurial project.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
And three women's networks mean it provides the family for
the women where we take care of them professionally and
personally to help them grow as individuals and business women.
Our employees are not simply here to work. They are
also here to learn and to engage in the dynamic
community of women who stand up to get their rights acknowledged.
(06:18):
They are motivated by the same cause speak up about
women's issues, starting with the basic need for proper menstrual hygiene.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
Yeah, and she's been doing a lot of amazing work.
I'm just thinking about the fact that we have places
like Florida which are saying that they can't talk about periods,
which is again the same stigma that she is fighting.
So oh the irony? Is that irony or is that
just tragic? Anyway, strategy and yeah, what she is doing
(06:51):
has brought a lot of attention to the foundation and
the needs of women of India. One of the big
things that she talks about is the fact that she
has collaborate and continues to collaborate with Megan Markle, as
we know former Duchess. I guess because they renounce. I
don't renounce their titles. But she has been a part
of their foundation because she loved what they were doing.
(07:13):
And of course she has been recognized for her hard
work as she should be. At the Duke University graduate
has been awarded with the Forbes thirty Under Thirty Asia
twenty eighteen. Is a Queen's Young Leader from twenty seventeen
representing India. Was one of Glamour's Women of the Year
in twenty sixteen and at Duke University, she was a
(07:33):
Baldwin Scholar of Women's four Year Leadership Program and a
Melissa and Doug Entrepreneurship a Fellow twenty sixteen that actually
helped her found the Mina Mahela Foundation and was a
Global Citizen Prize Cisco Youth A Leadership Award nominee in
twenty twenty. Obviously she's doing so much more. The foundation
from Mardykendell is thriving, has been a big help in
(07:56):
India during the pandemic as well. So yeah, they're doing
a lot of work. She continues on is still the
CEO and has been a force when it comes to
being an advocate and working for the women of India.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
Yeah, and that's that's such an important thing and it
is a conversation all over the world. So great work
and as always, well I'm sure we'll have an update
in the future about what she's doing in the meantime.
Listeners as always, if you have a suggestion for this segment,
please let us know. You can email us at Steph Media,
(08:30):
mom Stuff at iHeartMedia dot com. You can find us
on Twitter at mom Stuff Podcast, on Instagram and TikTok
that stuff I've never told you. We do have a
tea public store and we have a book. You can
get it now at stuff You should read books dot com.
Thanks as always to our super producer Christina, our executive
producer Maya, and our contributor Joey. Thank you and thanks
to you for listening. Steff I never told you the
(08:52):
production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from my Heart Radio,
you can check out the heart Radio app, Apple podcast,
or if you listen to your favorite shows,
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