Madonna takes her adopted children to see their Malawi birthplace
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Madonna is visiting Malawi with the two children she adopted from the impoverished African country.
The singer, said to be the single largest international philanthropic donor to Malawi, arrived with David Banda, adopted in 2006 and Mercy James, in 2009.
Madonna visited the schools which she helped to fund and held talks with President Joyce Banda, in a bid to defuse a row over the star’s charitable work.
Madonna’s Raising Malawi charity claimed to have built 10 schools but Education minister Eunice Kazembe had said they were classroom blocks, and not schools.
Trevor Nielson, Madonna’s philanthropy manager, said: “The schools are built to the exact national standards of Malawi, like every other Malawian school. The bottom line is that 3,800 children are going to school now who were not going to school before.”
Madonna also visited one of the orphanages she sponsors in the capital, Lilongwe. She had promised to bring her adopted children back to the African country, which is home to nearly a million children orphaned by AIDS, “every two to three years.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments