MALAWI: Ordinary Malawians share their views on U.S. pop singer Madonna's bid to adopt a second child from the country

Record ID: 453017

  • Title: MALAWI: Ordinary Malawians share their views on U.S. pop singer Madonna's bid to adopt a second child from the country
  • Date: 31st March 2009
  • Summary: BLANTYRE, MALAWI (MARCH 27, 2009) (REUTERS) TRAFFIC IN STREET PAN TO WOMAN AND BABY CROSSING ROAD
  • Embargoed: 15th April 2009 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Malawi
  • Country: Malawi
  • Topics: Legal System,Arts / Culture / Entertainment / Showbiz
  • Reuters ID: LVAD0ZTWB7P6YXZO6Y0ARHF5HXOI
  • Story Text: US pop singer Madonna is in Malawi in a bid to adopt a second Malawian child, a girl called Mercy James, officials said.
    An employee said Madonna had checked into an exclusive lodge, accompanied by her son David Banda, whom she adopted in 2006 from the same Mchinji Home of Hope orphanage where four-year-old Mercy lives.
    The employee said David's biological father Yohane Banda was at the lodge to see his son.
    Some Malawians opposed David's adoption, accusing the government of skirting laws that ban non-residents from adopting children. Critics say Mercy's adoption would also violate Malawi's laws.
    Maxwell Matewere,the executive director for the non-governmental organisation, Eye of the Child, he thinks that the government should make adoption laws more flexible.
    "Malawi should quickly adopt a law that will permit inter-country adoption, knowing that we are disadvantaged in terms of our situation, in where a country there is a growing number of orphans, poverty situation and others. It is really very important. We must stress that it is really very important, that Malawi should have, besides the shortfalls or challenges that we are meeting, it is really very important, it is actually an advantage to the child if we really put in place some laws that will regulate inter-country adoption," said Matewere.
    Madonna took David when he was 13 months old after his father had placed him in an orphanage following the death of David's mother.
    The singer has said despite the controversy around David's adoption, she was happy to be involved in a case that might pave the way for more adoptions in Malawi, where an estimated one million children have been orphaned by AIDS.
    Malawi civil society groups say they plan to oppose Mercy's adoption, while some ordinary Malawians support Madonna.
    "I think it just shows that she has found Malawi to be a little bit favourable, in terms of adoption and it is quite a welcome idea,"
    said Kondwani Simbota, an entrepreneur.
    Blantyre resident, Mzondi Silvester Banda said he would like to see Madonna and U.S. chat show host Oprah Winfrey coming up with initiatives to give homes to Malawi's orphans in Malawi itself.
    "I would have loved if people like the Madonnas, the Oprahs, if they decided to come up with an initiative, perhaps to be helping so many orphans right in their homes, in their originating, original countries homes than literally flying them out. Somewhere there, I have a problem," Banda said.
    On Sunday (March 29), Madonna toured a site where her charity, Raising Malawi, plans to build a multi-million dollar school for girls about 12 kilometres outside Lilongwe.
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