Last week we learned that Madonna was planning a trip to Malawi in order to move ahead with the adoption of a Malawian girl named Mercy James. She is said to be currently petitioning the court in Malawi to hear her adoption case. It was reported that Maddy was planning to be in Malawi this weekend and that her case might be heard as early as Monday. Madonna has, in fact, made her way to Malawi and was seen with her eldest child, Lourdes Maria, in the village of Magwelo on the outskirts of Lilongwe, Malawi yesterday afternoon … but she refused to talk at all about the adoption when queried by reporters. Here are a few photos:

Madonna dashed from the airport to an impoverished Malawi village to discuss a school she is planning to build, saying nothing to the hordes of reporters on her trail Sunday about whether she is planning to start the process of adopting a second Malawian child. The singer, casually dressed in a white fedora, walked in Chinkhota, a village near the capital of this AIDS- and poverty-stricken southern African country, holding the hand of her 12-year-old daughter, Lourdes. Dozens of reporters looked on. The 50-year-old Madonna refused to answer questions about reports that she was in Malawi to adopt a 4-year-old girl. She said it was “amazing” to be back in the country where she runs a charity organization and from where she adopted her son David, 3, last year. Then she rushed away in a convoy of at least three sport utility vehicles, as crowds of shouting, waving children ran after her. Madonna was expected to appear Monday in court in Lilongwe, the capital, to sign adoption papers. A security guard with the convoy said Madonna spoke to villagers about building a school, and she was seen looking at an artist’s impression of the proposed building … It was not clear if the school she discussed Sunday was her proposed Raising Malawi Academy for Girls. A Malawian welfare official and another person involved in the adoption proceedings have said 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. A U.S. government official has also confirmed that an adoption bid by Madonna, an American citizen, is under way. Madonna has faced harsh criticism for years over David’s adoption. Children’s advocacy groups accused her of wielding her immense wealth and influence to circumvent Malawian law requiring an 18- to 24-month assessment period before adoption. But locals were not so condemning. Wilson Kalibwanji, a resident of Chinkhota, said he would willingly place his own son in her care to ensure the boy a better life. “We are poor people,” he said Sunday. “If a child’s mother dies, it is hard for the man to bring the child up.” 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 would 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 … Madonna told Malawi’s The Nation newspaper that she was considering another adoption but would only do it if she had “the support of the Malawian people and government.” If the adoption goes through, Madonna would become a single mother of four. She also has an 8-year-old son, Rocco, with former husband and British film director Guy Ritchie and her daughter Lourdes from a previous relationship.

I suspect that despite the criticism that has been drawn by Madonna’s desire to adopt again from Malawi, she will be successful in her bid. Again, it is my personal belief that she should be allowed to adopt again from Malawi. As mentioned in the article, I imagine it is extremely difficult for the impoverished people of Malawi to care for their children when one of the parents dies. It would be amazing if all of the orphans could be placed in loving homes that could care for them. I totally understand where the criticism comes from but I cannot help but believe that an adopted child would life a very happier life in Madonna’s care. Despite what anyone thinks of her, I’m convinced she is a loving and caring mother. I hope she is able to bring little Mercy James home to live with her family.

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