Madonna, Africa and Child Mortality

Huffington Post

The problem is straightforward: more than nine million children die each year in Africa. That is the number of people in the entire state of New Jersey.

African kids die from infectious diseases such as HIV, TB, malaria, respiratory illnesses, diarrhea, worms, parasites, and vaccine-preventable diseases, malnutrition and -- far too often -- during childbirth itself.

In an exclusive interview with HuffPo, Sonia Ehrlich Sachs, M.D., M.P.H. spoke to me about Africa, child mortality, and an intelligent, charismatic women who has learned much about both: Madonna.


Millennium Villages help care for children in Africa.

Dr. Sonia Sachs is a public health specialist and serves as the health coordinator for the Millennium Villages Project at the Earth Institute at Columbia University.

Dr. Sonia Sachs is a public health specialist and serves as the health coordinator for the Millennium Villages Project at the Earth Institute at Columbia University.

She is also married to another brilliant thought leader and global citizen, Prof. Jeffry Sachs, Director of the Earth Institute, and Special Advisor to the U.N. Secretary General on the Millennium Development Goals.

Sonia is the pediatrician who was with Madonna in Malawi when the singer met one-year old David Banda. Sonia explained to me that the evening David left the orphanage to spend his first night with Madonna in a hotel in Lilongwe, he was very ill and could have died, as did his other siblings before him. She credits the entertainer for saving the child's life.

I had not realized that Madonna's project, Raising Malawi, was helping to support one of Jeff's Millennium Villages near Lilongwe. That was one of the reasons Sonia was with Madonna on the trip.

David Banda with his adoptive mother, Madonna.

"David would have died that evening or the following day if it were it not for Madonna. I can tell you with certainty that he would have died had he stayed in the orphanage," Sonia told me.

"The evening David was handed over to Madonna, he had a very high fever and was in acute respiratory distress -- meaning he had difficulty breathing."

"We took him to a private clinic, where a colleague and I examined him carefully, took a chest X-ray, diagnosed his respiratory infection, and treated him immediately with an inhaler, and intramuscular antibiotics. Lower respiratory infections like pneumonia are a common killer of so many children in Africa every year."

As founder of Orphans International Worldwide, I have experienced the death of one of our children in Haiti. The pain of losing a child is indescribable.

Last fall, Sonia presented to our Orphans International Worldwide Congress -- held at N.Y.U. Medical School -- on the grim story of African child mortality. She explained about preventable and treatable conditions such as extreme nutrient deficiencies, infectious diseases and unsafe childbirth.

The deaths of African children are all about food, water, and cooking stoves. Sonia explained that there is usually no public health system in place to address this tragic litany of otherwise very approachable issues.

Simple, non-clinical health interventions make a big difference in saving lives, Sonia believes. Improved nutrition through school meals, better cooking stoves to reduce open fire and indoor air pollution, clean water, mosquito bed nets, and de-worming are all essential, interventions needed but not affordable by people living in extreme poverty.

Through her work, Sonia has come to know Madonna a little bit. "I have found Madonna to be an impressively solid person dedicated to her children and to the welfare of thousands of neglected orphans in Malawi."

A Millennium Village doctor examining a child.

Sonia has personally witnessed Madonna's compassion and motherly instincts more than once.

In Malawi some people practice witchcraft. On occasion, a boy's entire genitalia are removed by villagers based on ancient superstition. One little boy Madonna met had been so mutilated he could not stop wetting himself. The physical and emotional suffering was unbearable.

Madonna held the boy and pledged to care for him, which she has done to this day by looking after his medical and educational needs. Thanks to Madonna, the boy continues to improve.

Children learning in a Millennium Village in Africa.

Madonna somehow speaks to the children of the world. From Africa to Asia and the Americas. My own teenage son Mathew -- adopted at the age of ten months from Indonesia -- has informed me that if I ever meet Madonna without him, he will disown me.

Leeds trio change their names in honour of Madonna

Yorkshire Evening Post


from the left are Lianne Dawson, Gemma Mitchell and Emma Dawson

DON'T bother asking this trio of pop fans Who's That Girl, because you'll get the same answer – Madonna!

The west Leeds lasses are so Hung Up on the queen of pop that they have all changed their names in homage to the star.

Yes, to most people she may be the Beautiful Stranger who's always in Vogue, but to these Wortley ladies, Madonna is everything.

And to prove it, twins Lianne and Emma Dawson are now officially called 'Lianne Madonna Vogue On The Cover Of A Magazine McHale Dawson', and 'Emma Madonna Confessions On A Dance Floor McHale Dawson.'

And their best friend has ditched plain old Gemma Mitchell in favour of 'Gemma True Blue Strike A Pose Carroll McHale Dawson Me Me Mitchell.'

The idea might sound Crazy For You, but to these devotees, it's a True Blue statement of admiration.

And the threesome are hoping the wacky stunt will work Like A Prayer and prove they are Madonna's biggest fans. The former Wortley High School pupils, all 23 and best friends since they were teenagers, decided to change their names after Gemma was stumped over what to buy her pals for their recent birthday.

The twins said 'buy us a name' change and the rest is history.

The girls combined various Madonna songs and lyrics as well as their family names and are now bound forever by their passion for the evergreen Material Girl.

"We absolutely love Madonna," Emma said.

"We have been to see her as much as we can and we have got every single album and DVD she has ever made.

"Our mum is not surprised that me and Lianne have decided to change our names by deed poll, but we haven't told our Nan yet.

"Our friend Gemma decided that she would pay for us both to have our names changed, but she loved the idea so much she decided to change her name too.

"We have all had problems changing our names on Facebook, as our new names are simply too long, but we are going to stick with them.

"Most of our friends don't know yet but I don't think they will be too surprised as everyone knows that we are obsessed with Madonna – in a nice way that is!"

The girls hold regular Madonna nights with their friends when they play the singer's DVDs and listen to her songs.

But it's not just her music they are enamoured with.

"She's a fantastic businesswoman and everything she puts her mind to she makes into a success," Gemma said.

The trio are going to see their idol in July in London and Manchester, and they are hoping advance word of their devotional act might reach the star's ears before then.

They are also hoping to use their new found fame to help support the Raising Malawi charity. The poverty-stricken African country is the birthplace of the singer's adopted son David Banda.

Jamie Jackson, chief executive of Legal Deed Service, which the girls used for their £10 name switch, said: "We are always
getting hilarious name changes, but we have never had three Madonna fanatics contact us with such crazy monikers.

"I am sure that the lady herself would be flattered!"

Log on to www.raisingmalawi.org to find out more about the charity or to donate.

Photos of Madonna visiting the village of Mugulula in Malawi - 03/04/09

allaboutmadonna

I Am Because We Are - the book - officially launched

raisingmalawi.org



I AM BECAUSE WE ARE, the remarkable documentary film by director Nathan Rissman and Raising Malawi co-founder Madonna, documents the extraordinary challenges faced by Malawian children in the wake of the AIDS pandemic.

While the film features appearances by Madonna, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and President Bill Clinton, its real stars are the spirited children whose stories so heart wrenchingly relate the complexities of life in the developing world.

I AM BECAUSE WE ARE has inspired audiences at film festivals worldwide with its message of interdependence and intrinsic connection between all peoples. Its title is derived from a concept in African spirituality which states that the very existence of any one of us is defined by the well-being of others.

After a successful featured run on The Sundance Channel, the film's message of global interconnectedness now arrives at a very fitting venue on the worldwide web. Spread the word: I AM BECAUSE WE ARE enjoys a limited six-week online engagement at Hulu.com beginning this Thursday, March 26th.

Madonna visit sheds light on Malawi's poverty

Associated Press via Yahoo!

KUMBALI, Malawi – "Madonna, Madonna!" the barefoot boys in tattered T-shirts call out. Until recently, the pop star's name meant little in a country that didn't even have TV until a decade ago.

Even now, all these boys know is that a rich white woman ensconced in a nearby luxury lodge is the cause of the hubbub near their village.

This is Madonna's third trip to Malawi since 2006, when she started a charity to help the country's poor and orphaned children — one of whom she later adopted. On Friday, a judge is expected to give her the green light to adopt a second Malawian child, 4-year-old Chifundo "Mercy" James.

Critics have accused the singer of using her fame and fortune to fast-track the adoption and say the little girl would be better off raised by her extended family. Madonna has maintained she is following standard procedure, and on Thursday she received the endorsement of a top government minister.

Over the past week, Madonna and her entourage have traveled in three SUVS, drawing large crowds during visits to a day care facility funded by her charity and to an orphanage where her 3-year-old adopted son, David, once lived.

International photographers and television crews have set up daily stakeouts along the road to Kumbali Lodge, where Madonna has been staying in an oasis of charming chalets situated on a cattle and horse ranch not far from the capital — and just a stone's throw from a scruffy village of the same name.

Sometimes the paparazzi wait under shady acacia trees bursting with yellow blooms near the Presidential Palace before security guards move them on. Mostly, though, it's long hours spent on a dusty dirt road, watching village life go by.

Then, at the first sign of the star's convoy, doors slam shut, engines rev and the chase begins.

The group of young boys, who scrounge empty plastic bottles from reporters, have little concept of how famous and rich Madonna is. But they can see the fuss she has created and it's a source of great entertainment.

They break into belly laughs as photographers long used to the indulgences of the celebrity circuit, use their teeth to strip bark off sticks of sugar cane and suck the sweet fibers inside — a popular pastime in this poor country.

The boys don't speak much English and the photographers — who hail from France, Italy, Turkey and elsewhere — don't speak Chichewa, an official language in Malawi. But one language they all understand is soccer: Soon a rather deflated orange ball is produced and a game — with very flexible rules — is on.

Madonna's music is little known in this deeply Christian nation where a strict dress code banning trousers for women and long hair for men was enforced into the mid-1990s. There was no television until 1999 and even today, Western pop music is seldom heard on radio stations, which play mostly African tunes and reggae.

The scene played out on the road to Kumbali Lodge illustrates this former British colony's battle to break the cycle of poverty and corruption that afflicts so many African countries.

To get there, one takes the Presidential Way that leads out of the capital, Lilongwe, toward the manicured lawns of the $100 million presidential mansion built by Hastings Kamuzu Banda, who ruled Malawi for three decades after independence in 1964. He spent 90 days in the palace before he was ousted in the country's first multiparty election in 1994.

His successor, Bakili Muluzi, who now faces corruption charges for allegedly siphoning $10 million from donor countries into his personal bank account, refused while in office to live in the mansion while his people lived in poverty.

The incumbent President Bingu wa Mutharika, whose face graces numerous billboards in his bid to be re-elected in next month's election, has no such objections.

The road to Madonna's lodge eventually disintegrates into a deeply rutted muddy track surrounded by corn fields that cuts through the rundown village of Kumbali — a collection of crumbling mud huts, their roofs a patchwork of dried palm leaves.

Here men cycle past on old bicycles loaded with scraps of building material or passengers they are ferrying the three miles to Lilongwe.

One young girl of about 9 or 10 stood out during a visit there Wednesday — tall and scrawny, she was dressed in a dirty white T-shirt and a scrap of faded yellow-patterned cloth wrapped around her waist.

She was struggling with an enormous bundle of wood she likely spent all morning gathering. Eventually she managed to tie a rope made out of leaves around it. Then, with help from another girl, she hoisted the load onto her head and walked off into the long grass.

She returned later with a bucket of water balanced on her head, then swept the road clear of sugar cane debris with a broom of leafy branches. She was last seen strapping another woman's baby to her back and disappearing down the road.

In endorsing Madonna's adoption bid Thursday, Malawi's child welfare minister, Anna Kachikho, noted that children like this one have benefited from the singer's charities, which have helped 25,000 youngsters in a country of more than 1 million orphans, half of whom lost their parents to AIDS.

If wealthy Westerners like Madonna adopt even one, Kachikho said, "it's one mouth less" for Malawi to feed.

Lourdes holding Mercy's hand - first current photo

The Sun

The Queen of Pop was pictured with Mercy for the first time yesterday as authorities began finalising the adoption arrangements.

Four-year-old Mercy held the hand of new sister Lourdes, 12, as she enjoyed her first family outing.

They were surrounded by a posse of minders, but Mercy — wearing a blue dress — was seen laughing and smiling as she joined her new family.

Madonna spent over an hour in Malawi’s High Court on Monday, when she told Judge Esme Chombo she would be “a deeply loving mother” to Mercy, whose Malawian name is Chifundo.

In adoption papers seen by The Sun, Madonna says: “To deny Chifundo the opportunity to be adopted by me could expose her to hardship and emotional trauma which is otherwise avoidable.”

The judge will give an official ruling on Friday — but Madonna, 50, has already been told that her application will succeed.

The pop queen is due to fly to Britain on Saturday — and has told staff at her London home to “prepare for the arrival of my new little girl”.

Madonna celebrated Monday’s successful meeting by throwing a dinner party at her luxury lodge.

A charity worker who attended the bash said Madge was drinking wine and hugging her staff — while her adopted son David held Mercy’s hand and ran around excitedly telling guests: “This is my new sister.”

The source said: “Madonna looked incredibly proud and happy, and David was so funny — he couldn’t leave Mercy alone and pulled her around all the guests.”

Eight-year-old brother Rocco — Madonna’s son with ex-hubby GUY RITCHIE — has also been helping to welcome Mercy into the family by playing with her in the gardens of the lodge.

A senior Malawian official yesterday confirmed that Madonna had been told Mercy was hers.

The official told The Sun: “This is all very confidential, and Judge Chombo must still make her ruling — but that ruling will be in favour of Madonna.

“Madonna is a very good mother and ambassador for Malawi. She has improved the lives of thousands of orphans.”

The approval comes after The Sun told how Madonna had recruited two of Malawi’s leading politicians to help secure her second adoption.

Madonna’s adoption of David from Malawi caused a storm, and some human rights groups accused her of using her vast wealth to “bulldoze” the authorities into agreeing to her requests.

The star has donated huge sums of money to help look after orphans in the African nation, where 14 per cent of adults are infected with HIV, the virus that causes Aids.

David, now three, yesterday met his biological dad Yohane Banda for the first time since he left for Madonna’s privileged showbiz world when he was adopted in 2006.

Farmer Yohane, 34 — immaculately dressed in blue suit and white shirt — wept with joy at the emotional reunion. He said: “I knew one day my dreams would be answered.”

Yohane, who had been forced to leave his baby son at an orphanage after the tot’s mum died, added: “At first I didn’t recognise him as he’s grown so much.

“David sat with me and spent time squeezing and playing with my nose.

“It was the proudest day of my life, to sit here again with my son. Now I want him to meet his half-brother and sister and show him the village in which we all live.”

Under the deal which allowed David’s adoption, Madonna has a duty to take him back “regularly” to Malawi so he can see his dad and keep in touch with his roots. And yesterday Madge apologised to other orphans at his former home — because David could not understand them.

At the moment David speaks only English, and was baffled when kids at the Home of Hope orphanage in Mchinji asked him “Muli cwanji?” — meaning “How are you?”

Madonna told orphanage staff she is employing a tutor to teach the whole family the basics of the local Chichewa language.

She added: “Next time I come here we won’t need a guy here to translate for us.”

Madonna to Appear in Malawi Court Friday

People

Madonna will face a judge in Malawi on Friday as part of her ongoing quest to adopt another child.

Court registrar James Chigona told reporters that Justice Esme Chombo will consider whether to grant Madonna a temporary custody order to allow her to take 3-year-old Mercy James out of the country. Chinula tells PEOPLE that Madonna's split from her husband, filmmaker Guy Ritchie, will not affect her chances to adopt Mercy. "Malawi laws do not say single parents cannot adopt," he said. "The courts assesses cases as they come."

Mercy's teenage mother, Mwandida Maunde, died at age 18 in 2006.

Meanwhile Madonna and her family have used the trip to help her son, David Banda, explore his roots. In an emotional reunion, David met with his biological father, Yohane Banda.

"We spent three hours together. My son has grown too big," he told reporters. He also said that David looks very much like him, "but resembles more his half brother Dingiswayo."

Madonna briefly met Yohane and updated him of his son's schooling. "She is a sweet lady," said the 33-year-old peasant farmer of the singer.

Sources tell PEOPLE that Madonna is expected to take her children Lourdes, 12, Rocco, 8, and David, 3, to the Home of Hope orphanage in the border district of Mchinji for her adopted son's reunion with the orphanage where the singer found him in 2006. She also took her children's to David's ancestral village of Lipunga, where they visited Consol Homes, a school run on Kabalah teachings.

"I am impressed with what you are doing here," Madonna told the staff at the school.

M in Malawi - photos and video - 30/03/09

allaboutmadonna, NY Post

Madonna with her kids at a school she financed, 50km from Malawi’s capital Lilongwe (March 30 2009).

M in Malawi - video and photos - 29/03/09

Associated Press










More photos: Getty Images

LILONGWE, MALAWI - MARCH 29: Madonna and daughter Lourdes attend a briefing at Chinkhota Village outside Lilongwe where a new school is being established with her backing on March 29, 2009 in Malawi, South Africa.


More photos: Wenn

Just Jared

Air traffic controllers: Madonna arrives in Malawi

Associated Press

By RAPHAEL TENTHANI

LILONGWE, Malawi (AP) — Madonna, the original Material Girl, landed in a decidedly un-material nation Sunday, flying into the capital of Malawi where she was expected to begin proceedings this week to adopt a young girl.

Air traffic controllers at the airport in the capital of Lilongwe confirmed that her plane landed Sunday, speaking on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss the matter with reporters.

This would be the second child the 50-year-old pop star has adopted from the impoverished African country. The adoption for her Malawian-born son David, 3, was finalized last year.

A Malawian welfare official and another person involved in the adoption proceedings say the girl Madonna is hoping to adopt is about 4 years old and her unmarried mother died soon after she was born. The girl's father is believed to be alive but no other details were available. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the case is considered sensitive.

Madonna and the girl's uncle are expected to appear in court on Monday to sign adoption papers.

A U.S. government official confirmed that an adoption bid by Madonna, an American, was under way. The luxury lodge where Madonna normally stays in Malawi has been fully booked and visitors are being turned away.

Madonna faced harsh criticism for years over David's adoption. Children's advocacy groups accused her of wielding her wealth and influence to circumvent Malawian law requiring an 18- to 24-month assessment period before adoption.

Austin Msowoya, legal researcher with Malawi's Law Commission, played down concerns that a second adoption by Madonna would violate any laws.

He said the best interests of the child needed to be taken into account — whether that was staying in an orphanage in Malawi or getting "an education with Madonna."

"When you look at these two options, then perhaps it becomes in the best interests of the child to allow the adoption if the parents and the guardians consent to it," he told Associated Press Television News on Saturday.

Malawians support Madonna’s second adoption

NYASATIMES

Many Malawians have expressed happiness with plans by US pop star Madonna to adopt a second child from the country despite criticism by British charity, Save the Children.

Madonna’s bid to adopt orphaned Chifundo James, 4, will be examined by High Court Judge Esmie Chombo in Lilongwe on Monday and the 50 year-old US singer will be present during the hearing.

The pop queen who adopted David Banda was encouraged by President Ngwazi Dr Bingu wa Mutharika to even adopt more Malawian children.

“Malawi has over one million orphans and some of them many aren't even able to go to school. And someone comes and takes ones child to give that child a future, an education and we want to make a noise? I don't know, I really don't know. I wish someone had come and taken 10,000 Malawian children because I know 10,000 Malawian would have better education and opportunities,” Mutharika captured in a Reuters video clip said.

Mzondi Lungu a Malawian writing on the social networking site, Facebook, commended Madonna for her plans and trashed calls by Save the Children UK that the singer should rethink.

“I thinks that Madonna is doing lots of good works at home in Malawi which needs respect and recognition. I see no problem with adoption. These so called charities who oppose are just trying to sabotage her good works. After all , many orphaned kids roam the streets begging helplessly while some charity bosses live a luxury life in the name of the poor,” Lungu who is based in England wrote on his Facebook page.

Lungu’s poem in support of Madonna’s adoption on Facebook also attracted positive comments.Abigail Mhango wrote: “Oh thank God for Madonna indeed. It makes me angry. Am sure if people had a choice they would say Madge please take me! Madonna woyeee!”

Tylon Kondowe also chorused his support comment and called the condemnation of Madonna by the charity as hypocrisy saying the organization is not really helping many orphaned children in Malawi.

Towera Ngwira, however is excited that Madonna’s adoption publicity is putting the southern African country on the world map.

“We should thank her because she is putting Malawi on the map now, everyone knows Malawi and also for the love and kindness she showed as a mother,” pointed out Ngwira.

Save the Children UK, spokesman Dominic Nutt statement also received bashing by readers on Nyasa Times through their comments to the story.

James Malizani a regular contributor in comments section on Nyasa Times wrote: “I would suggest these rich British should live in an orphanage for a year and experience the hardship these kids are going through, before they open up their mouth and speak on behalf of the orphans.

“Can I suggest that Mr. Nutt has a nice, spacious home, bed, food in the UK and has a bright future and if he has kids they too are looking forward to a prosperous future? Orphans in Malawi and around the world are facing a bleak future and life.”

Malazani added: “Madonna should be applauded for what she is doing by everyone around the world. The problem of orphans, poverty has no boundaries, or colour. It is a global problem and should have both global as well as local solutions. I get frustrated by these bodies, who purport to speak on behalf of these kids and yet, they cannot offer practical solutions that provides these kids with a bright future.

“Can I also suggest to Mr. Nutt to adopt one of two orphans from Malawi or other country, and stop killing the only little hope these kids have. May be Mr. Nutt should hear stories from people with personal experiences with orphaned kids, I am one of those. We all have a responsibility to help. One planet, all Gods’ people.”

In another comment, one Njala Nthenda Nsanje wrote: “Now I know why President AlBashir of Sudan doesn’t want these so called charity organizations in his country. The fact is that these organizations are full of white people with blue eyes just to quote President of Brazil Luala Da Silva. These people with blue eyes do not in any way love a black person. Not at all. If Madonna adopted a white child say from Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Albania these organizations could kept mum but since Madonna is adopting a black child from s is a matter of concern.”

Nsanje claimed the opposition was inspired by racism.

According to Associated Press report, Austin Msowoya, legal researcher with Malawi’s Law Commission, said the child’s best interests should be taken into account — whether that means staying in an orphanage in Malawi or getting "an education with Madonna."

The singer will be led by her Malawian lawyer Allan Chinula in court on Monday to sign the adoption papers.

"I Am Because We Are" now on Youtube

Watch the the full-length movie now:




In Malawi, a country of 12 million people, so many children without parents has caused irreparable damage. This film attempts to explore what is going on in the heads and hearts of these orphans, and what the future holds for them. Follow real-life stories of children and the parents who have died, and explore all sides of the dilemma, from the responsibility to the victim mentality.

"I Am Because We Are", directed by Nathan Rissman, is narrated by Madonna with interviews with Bill Clinton and Desmond Tutu. Click HERE to watch the full-length movie now (for US readers).

M to arrive in Malawi this weekend; hearing of the second adoption expected Monday

People

Being a single mom isn't keeping Madonna from expanding her family.

The singer, 50, is heading to Malawi where she is planning to adopt a child, according to officials in that country. "We are expecting her this weekend," an official from the Ministry of Women and Child Welfare, which is responsible for adoption in the African nation, tells PEOPLE.

The official says that Raising Malawi, the charity the singer established there, filed adoption papers for a baby girl, whose identity has not been revealed. "All is set for the adoption; all the paperwork is ready," he says.

Madonna is expected to appear in the High Court in the capital of Lilongwe next week to start the process for the second adoption. The singer's rep had no comment.

Madonna recently told Malawi's Nation newspaper that she wants a sister for her son David, 3, whom she adopted from the country. "Many people – especially our Malawian friends – say that David should have a Malawian brother or sister," she told the paper in a rare interview. "It's something I have been considering, but would only do if I had the support of the Malawian people and government."

David's father, Yohane Banda, tells PEOPLE that officials from Raising Malawi visited him last week to alert him to Madonna's impending arrival. "I was told anytime Madonna is coming with my son and her other children," said the soft-spoken tomato and onions farmer in a telephone interview. "They didn't give me dates but they just said 'soon.' "
*******

Madonna is finally due to adopt the little girl she has wanted for nearly two years when she flies into Malawi this weekend.

Four-year-old Mercy James was taken to a luxury lodge outside Lilongwe earlier this week, in preparation for being united with the singer, according to sources.

Madonna, 50, is expected to stay in the south-east African country for a week before flying out with Mercy - bar any last-minute hitches.

The girl is being cared for by a nanny at Kumbali Lodge - where Madonna has stayed on her previous visits to the country. She had been living at an orphanage near Blantyre, in the south of Malawi.

Madonna had hoped to keep the fact that the child is already at the lodge a secret until leaving the country.

'Mercy has been handed over to Madonna's people, who are already at the lodge, and is being cared for by a nanny,' says the source.

'They are waiting for Madonna to arrive so mother and daughter can be united and then Madonna is expected to take Mercy with her when she leaves.'

Madonna is expected to bring three-year-old David Banda - whom she adopted in Malawi in 2006 - with her to meet his new sister. The Lodge has been booked out from March 26 to April 4.

On Monday, the singer is expected to attend a court hearing in Lilongwe to formalise the adoption after having reportedly filed adoption papers.

*******

Officials Confirm Madonna Is Adopting 3-Year-Old Girl, Mercy

Us Magazine

Officials have confirmed Madonna is adopting a 3-year-old girl, Mercy James, from Malawi.

"The adoption is going ahead," Malawi's Director of Child Welfare Services, Penstone Kilembe, tells: "It has been at an advanced stage for some time."

Mercy will be Madonna's fourth child, and second child from the African country. David Banda, 3, was adopted in 2006.

The girl is from the "Mchinji Home of Hope orphanage. She has no father and mother, they both died...We finished the assessment yesterday in readiness for the courts next week," an official at the ministry of Gender and Child Development told Reuters.

Madonna introduces her documentary, "I Am Because We Are"

Madonna Tribe

Madonna's official website announced that her "I Am Because We Are" documentary premieres on the YouTube and Hulu platforms today.

Directed by Nathan Rissman and narrated by Madonna, "I Am Because We Are" depicts a journey in the second poorest country in the world, Malawi.
In a country of 12 million people, so many children without parents has caused irreparable damage. The film attempts to explore what is going on in the heads and hearts of these orphans, and what the future holds for them. Suffering from AIDS, infections and malnutrition, most of the children in Malawi are in need for food, medical care, but also for proper education and guidance.

More than just a story about Malawi, "I Am Because We Are" provides the audience with keys to help changing the situation but also spreads hope for a better world.

Madonna to visit Malawi with adopted son

Reuters

By Mabvuto Banda

LILONGWE (Reuters) - U.S. pop star Madonna, who has said she may adopt another child from Malawi, may visit the southern African country in the next few days, a government official said on Thursday.

Officials said Madonna will bring her Malawian son David, whose adoption was controversial. Critics accused the government of skirting laws that ban non-residents from adopting children in Malawi, which has been badly hit by an AIDS epidemic.

"We expect her over the weekend or earlier than that...but without a doubt she is coming before the end of this month," the official at the Ministry of Gender and Child Development told Reuters.

The local Nation newspaper this month quoted Madonna as saying that Malawian friends had told her David needed a brother or sister and that she would consider adopting another child, but only with the support of the Malawian people.

David is growing up in the high-flying life of a global popstar, worlds away from his village of Lipunga, where his relatives eat staple food like maize meal from simple bowls and meals are cooked on open fires.

Madonna is expected to visit a site where her charity, Raising Malawi, will start building a multi-million dollar school for girls, the officials said.

David's father, Yohane Banda, told Reuters that he may see his son next week.

"Someone from Raising Malawi visited me last week and told me that my son may be visiting me sometime next week. I am delighted, I want to see my son," he said.

Madonna, who began adoption proceedings in 2006, took David when he was 13-months-old after his father had placed him in an orphanage following the death of his wife.

She has said he was happy to be involved in a case that might pave the way for more adoptions in Malawi. An estimated one million children in the country have been orphaned by AIDS.

Rights groups tried to block David's adoption, saying it would be illegal.

Child rights activist John Soo Phiri said Madonna may find it more difficult to adopt another child as a single parent after her divorce from film director Guy Ritchie.

"She will have to prove that as a single parent she still has the abilities to raise another child alone," said child rights activist John Soo Phiri.

Watch Madonna Interview Online

Madonna Tribe



French radio RTL will air a Madonna interview tomorrow at 9am. Movie journalist Stéphane Boudsocq flew to New York to meet the Queen of Pop.
The interview video is already available online, you can watch it Here (click on the 'Découvrez l'intégralité de l'interview de Madonna en vidéo! link)

La Rencontre interview - online

Madonna’s Raising Malawi Auction

From April 2nd a special auction benefiting Raising Malawi will be featured on Ebay! The auction will include some “very special items” and copies of the “I Am Because We Are” book autographed by Madonna!

More info can be found at : www.ebay.com/raisingmalawi

''Madonna - La Rencontre'' Caps

Madonna Tribe

Here are a few caps from the Madonna interview that was aired on French channel Canal + a few minutes ago:








Download the interview: RapidShare, Megaupload

Madonna may adopt another child from Malawi

Reuters

LILONGWE - U.S. pop star Madonna has said she may adopt another child from the poor southern African country of Malawi despite the controversy surrounding an earlier adoption.

Critics accused the government of skirting laws that ban non-residents from adopting children in Malawi, which has been badly hit by the AIDS epidemic, after Madonna took on David Banda.

"Many people -- especially our Malawian friends -- say that David should have a Malawian brother or sister," she said in response to emailed questions from Malawi's the Nation newspaper.

"It's something I have been considering, but would only do, if I had the support of the Malawian people and the Government."

A Malawian court approved the adoption of David last year.

Madonna has said the controversy had been difficult to deal with but she was happy to be involved in a case that might pave the way for more adoptions in Malawi. An estimated one million children in the country have been orphaned by AIDS.

Madonna, who began adoption proceedings in 2006, took David when he was 13-months-old after his father had placed him in an orphanage following the death of his wife.

David is growing up in the high-flying life of a leading popstar, worlds away from his village of Lipunga, where Banda's relatives eat staple food like maize meal from simple bowls and meals are cooked on open fires.

Madonna said she wanted to keep him connected to his homeland.

"It is a big priority for me to educate my son about the world, but always to stay connected to his Malawian culture," she said.

"He has a big map of Africa in his room with lots of arrows pointing to Malawi."

Madonna said her divorce from film director Guy Ritchie would not deprive their children of either parent.

"I believe in family. So, everything between us is very amicable ... we both agree that our children should always feel a deep connection with both their parents. It is our responsibility to give them that foundation," she said.

People

The singer's rep Liz Rosenberg echoes her sentiment, telling PEOPLE, "Madonna has stated many times that she'd love to adopt again."