Meghan Markle joined 15 women who came to the United States from Afghanistan to cook traditional Afghan food over the weekend.
The Duchess of Sussex created The Welcome Project in 2023 alongside the Archewell Foundation, which she created alongside Prince Harry.
The program is supposed to create “a safe haven and inclusive environment for women who have recently resettled to the United States from Afghanistan,” according to a news release from the Archewell Foundation.
On Saturday, Meghan joined the Southern California Welcome Project for an evening of cooking and storytelling.
Mina’s List, a partner of the foundation, brought together with the duchess 15 women who prepared traditional Afghan food such as Ashak and Mantuu, both a type of dumpling.
The Duchess of Sussex (center) prepared Afghan food on Saturday along with 15 Afghan women now living in the US.
Mina’s List, a partner of the foundation, brought together 15 women who prepared traditional Afghan food such as Ashak and Mantuu, both of which are a type of dumpling (the preparation of which is shown in the photo above), with the Duchess
The women showed Megan how to fill the dough balls and fold them correctly so they hold their shape while cooking (pictured above).
Then the group of women sat down. to discuss their personal stories and the “support they find in this intergenerational group of women.”
Foundation partner Mina’s List has been working with women activists and political leaders in Afghanistan since 2014 to push for greater gender equality.
Helped evacuate and resettle more than 2,000 Afghan women and families through independent and coalition efforts in 2021.
With many women resettling in Southern California, Mina’s List and the Archewell Foundation joined forces to “provide community and support to these extraordinary women as they begin to rebuild their lives in the US,” the press release reads.
This comes after it was revealed late last year that donations to the Archewell Foundation had plummeted by $11m (£8.7m) in 2023, leaving it with losses of £537,000, with the boss and right-hand man of the couple, James Holt. approved a huge 280% salary increase.
In December, the Sussexes released their charity’s annual report and a dazzling promotional film showcasing their good deeds in 2023, but it also emerged that their finances have taken a dive.
A tax return filed in the US revealed that in 2022 donations fell to just over $2 million (£1.6 million), down from $12.9 million (£10.3 million). of pounds sterling) in 2021, a staggering drop of $11 million (£8.7 million).
And 2021 profits of $9m (£7.1m) have plummeted amid a lack of donations. The Archewell Foundation made a loss of $674,485 (£536,357) over the last year because revenue was $2m but costs were $2.67m.
In 2022, only two major donors gave around $1 million each. The year before, an unidentified wealthy donor gave them 10 million dollars, but it will not be repeated in 2022.
It follows a tumultuous year for the couple, in which Harry’s scathing memoir Spare topped the bestseller lists but their personal popularity ratings fell.
The couple (pictured at the Invictus Games in September 2023) set up their Archewell Foundation after resigning from the Royal Family and say it is an “impact-driven global nonprofit that puts compassion into action” that is ‘committed to a simple but profound mission’: show up, do good’
The foundation’s highest-paid employee is Meghan and Harry’s right-hand man, James Holt (alongside the couple in their Netflix documentary Invictus). He was paid $227,405 a year (£180,835), including a $20,000 (£15,904) bonus.
The foundation has filed its annual tax return showing donations have plummeted (top set of figures circled) and a profit has turned into a loss (bottom circled), but they still have cash in the bank .
They were also mocked by popular TV shows like South Park and Family Guy, criticized after claims about an allegedly “near catastrophic” car chase in New York, and lost their lucrative podcast deal with Spotify, where a top executive He labeled them “******* scammers.”
The couple set up their Archewell Foundation after stepping down from the Royal Family and say it is an “impact-driven global nonprofit putting compassion into action” that is “committed to a simple but profound mission: showing up, doing the good.”
The Foundation employed five people, with salaries totaling $640,441 (£509,285) for the year. Harry and Meghan He did not receive a salary.
But chief executive James Holt, seen as the Sussexes’ right-hand man since Megxit, received $227,405 a year (£180,835) for 18 months, including a $20,000 (£15,904) bonus.
This was a pay rise of around $170,000 (£133,000), up from his starting salary of $59,846 (£47,641) the previous year.
Holt’s salary in 2021 did not reflect a full 12 months of work (it was only for six months) because he joined mid-year, it is understood.
Despite the loss in 2022, it appears the foundation, described as a “not-for-profit” organisation, still holds around $8.3m (£6.6m) in cash and assets.
The charity still has reserves available and a spokesperson for Archewell disputed Holt’s pay rise.
The spokesman said the accounts showed the charity was doing well and managing its finances properly and would likely have millions to spend each year.
Sometimes high-profile foundations receive a large amount of funding in the first year, which is then used over several years.
If a foundation already has a lot of money in the bank, this may lead it to reduce future fundraising.