Posted October 5, 200618 yr RAPHAEL TENTHANI Associated Press BLANTYRE, Malawi - Madonna arrived in Malawi on Wednesday on a mission to help AIDS orphans - and may leave with a child adopted in this impoverished southern African country. Andrina Mchiela, secretary to the minister for gender and child welfare, said the pop star planned to adopt a child and launch six projects to help underprivileged children during her stay. Madonna and her husband, director Guy Ritchie, have a son, Rocco, 5, and the singer also has a daughter, Lourdes, 9. Madonna and an entourage of some 10 people landed on a private plane in the capital Lilongwe just after 9 a.m., according to Mchiela. There had been no prior announcement. Madonna was expected to spend Wednesday resting in the capital, Lilongwe. She was to travel Thursday to Mphandula, a village about 30 miles from the capital, where she wants to set up an education and feeding center for children orphaned by the AIDS epidemic. Malawi is among the poorest countries in the world, trapped in a seemingly endless cycle of hunger and disease. HIV/AIDS infects just over 14 percent of the 12 million population - most of them economically active adults - and has left an estimated 1 million children orphaned. In villages like Mphandula, many orphaned children are cared for either by siblings or grandparents, who struggle to find food for the extended family. There is no electricity in the village and the inhabitants live in mud and thatched huts. Televisions are nonexistent and radios are rare, meaning that most of the villagers have never even heard Madonna sing. Madonna unveiled her plans for Malawi in an interview in August with Time magazine. She said she wants to raise at least $3 million for programs to support AIDS orphans. Madonna joins a growing list of entertainer-activists who have focused on Africa. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, whose child was born in Namibia earlier this year, recently announced they would donate $1 million each to two humanitarian organizations active on the continent. Actor and director George Clooney has campaigned passionately for the victims of the violence in the Darfur region of Sudan. Madonna has teamed up with developing-world economic expert Jeffrey Sachs on programs in Malawi, and she's met with former U.S. President Bill Clinton about bringing low-cost medicines to the country. Sachs has launched a series of comprehensive projects to transform villages in Africa, and Clinton last month announced a campaign against rural poverty in Malawi that will focus in part on combatting AIDS. thanks to HEC from madonnanation.
October 8, 200618 yr POP Queen Madonna is adopting an African baby boy called Luca, The People can reveal. And the multi-millionaire mum of two could even bring the year-old orphan back to Britain this week. Madonna, 48, has repeatedly denied plans to adopt during a visit to poverty-ridden Malawi. But sources say her hubby Guy Ritchie has made up to four secret trips to the southern African country in the past six months to smooth the way. And the singer has already had emotional meetings with Luca on Wednesday and yesterday. She is expected to visit him again today - Mother's Day in Malawi. The couple have also hired a top lawyer in Malawi's capital Lilongwe in a bid to speed up the adoption process. Government officials revealed they were instructed to draw up a list of 12 boys for Madonna. And she picked out cute little Luca when she met them for the first time last Wednesday at the Mchinji Mission Orphanage. She and film director Guy, 38, were mobbed by smiling youngsters as they toured the centre, which is home to 100 babies and 300 older children. Dressed in white linen trousers, a white shirt and a safari hat, Madonna looked relaxed and happy as she lovingly cuddled a dozen babies before choosing Luca. An onlooker said: "The visit was kept firmly under wraps and no one knew she was going." Yesterday, Madonna and Guy returned to the orphanage - which the couple are supporting with a lucrative donation. The megastar waved and smiled as the children sang her songs and applauded. An onlooker said: "It was amazing - she's bringing such happiness to these sad children. "You could tell by their faces how delighted they were. "She may be adopting just one child but she is helping the whole orphanage and they are all very grateful for that. "The money she is giving will make a huge difference to them." Hundreds of cheering locals lined the route as the entourage left later. Madonna - who already has a daughter Lourdes, nine, and son Rocco, six - hopes to fast-track the adoption plan so she can take Luca with her when she leaves Malawi on Friday. She and Guy have instructed top Malawian lawyer Alan Chinula to take on the case. Mr Chinula confirmed: "I am due to meet with a representative of Madonna concerning the adoption soon." But the Material Girl faces a tricky legal battle to collect Luca in the next few days. Adoptions in Malawi usually take at least six weeks and she may have to get a magistrates' court to approve the move. There could also be problems getting the tot a passport. A local source said: "At the moment the immigration office has run out of stationery and is unable to produce any official documents. "And the couple may have to become foster parents for 18 to 24 months before they can finalise the adoption - although that would enable them to take him home immediately." The source added: "To get it all sorted in one week is pretty unlikely. "But anything can be done if you have enough money and know the right people. "It is all about finding the right lawyer and the right social welfare officer. "It is possible to cut corners if you go about it the right way." Madonna had hoped the best way to cut corners was through Acting Head of State, Chimuntha Banda - who can rubberstamp adoptions - and she ordered aides to fix up a summit with him on Friday. Speaking before the meeting was due, Mr Banda said he was baffled by Madonna's refusal to confirm her plans. And he revealed she had refused his plea to hold a press conference about them. He said: "I can't understand why it is so under wraps. "This 's a good opportunity for her to express herself and to promote understanding for the problems we are facing here." He added: "Adoption is definitely on the agenda and when we meet we will be discussing it." But Madonna later infuriated Mr Banda by trying to reschedule her meeting with him - and later postponing it for several days. Meanwhile, the singer has given almost £2million towards building another orphanage in the country for up to 4,000 children as part of her Raising Malawi charity project. As The People revealed last month, Madonna and Guy decided to adopt an African baby in a bid to save their troubled marriage. Source: The People
October 10, 200618 yr Despite earlier denials, Madonna's publicist is now changing her tune. Liz Rosenberg tells Life & Style magazine that the Material Mom and pop icon may indeed be adding another baby to her family. "I have not been given official confirmation from Madonna," says Rosenberg. Life & Style reports that Madge and Guy are definitely in the process of adopting a boy from Africa. An insider close to the star says the adoption follows three years of fertility treatments. "They just couldn't get pregnant again," the insider says.
October 11, 200618 yr Oo she might adapt, Ive read about all this in the paper.. Dont know if its true though. Gd luck to her.
October 12, 200618 yr She has already adopted an African baby who is 1 year and his name is "David". He is so lucky that he has an amazing New mum. :heart:
October 12, 200618 yr Yeah, seems like its true, just got to here from Madonna's camp now, seen it all on the news though, its raising alot of issues. I say good luck to them :)
October 12, 200618 yr There is so much negativity by some who are critising Madonna for 'picking out' a baby from a poor village! No one is quite realising that this baby that Madonna has 'picked out!' is going to have a healthy upbringing and that Madonna is using her wealth n' power to improve lives of the unfortunate! It hurts me as a fan to see someone working so hard to make the world a better place, constantly battered and stamped over...give the woman a bloody break is wot i say!
