Madonna marked the start of construction of her school for girls in Malawi on Monday by planting a tree at the planned site of the $15 million school. The 51-year-old celebrity arrived in the impoverished southern African country on Sunday accompanied by her four children — daughters Lourdes and Mercy, and sons Rocco and David. Madonna adopted Mercy from Malawi earlier this year and adopted David from the country in 2008. The singer was dressed in a dark summer dress and a colorful shawl during Monday’s ceremony in the town of Chinkhota, some six miles (10 kilometers) from the capital, Lilongwe. Together with eldest daughter Lourdes she planted a Moringa tree, a hardy tree with edible leaves. “If this school is a success — with God-willing it will be — we will replicate it not only in Malawi but in other parts of the world as well,” she said. The new school will be called the Raising Malawi Academy for Girls and will open by 2011 and educate 500 students, said its future principal, Anjimile Mtila-Opponyo. It will be similar to the school built by talk show host Oprah Winfrey in South Africa. Mtila-Opponyo said the curriculum will emphasize science and mathematics. “Madonna did not accept that Malawian women would not study science to become doctors,” she said. The singer told some 1,000 gathered villagers she was inspired by the strength of Malawian girls and women. “In all my travels, investigations and conversations the most recurring thing is how amazing Malawian women are, both young and old, how industrious they are and how much they deserve to be educated,” she said. Madonna’s Raising Malawi, a charity founded in 2006 when she first visited the country, helps feed, educate and provide medical care for some of Malawi’s orphans. Malawi, a nation of 12 million, is one of the poorest countries in the world. About 500,000 children have lost a parent to AIDS. Madonna will also meet with President Bingu wa Mutharika on Tuesday and visit some of the orphanages her charity supports.

Clearly Madonna has big plans to make good on her promise to give back to the country that has given so much to her. It’s very clear that she loves her adopted children very, very much and is working as hard as she can to enrich the region as best she can. It would’ve been very easy for Madonna to adopt her children, throw some money towards Malawi and never look back. I have every confidence that her commitment to the people of Malawi is genuine and true. It is my sincere hope that The Raising Malwai Academy for Girls is a huge success … and will help educate a new generation of girls so that they can forge their own successful futures. This is so great!! If you would like to donate to Raising Malawi and help Madonna in her endeavors, you can find out how to do so HERE. Madonna will MATCH whatever amount you choose to donate!

[Photo credit: INFdaily]

Clearly, Lourdes is jumping on board the new wave of vampire lore love … but do you think she’s all about the Twilight Saga vamps, the Vampire Diaries vamps or ::gasp:: the True Blood vamps? HMMM … I suppose it’s anyone’s guess … but it’s nice to know that even Maddy’s daughter is susceptible to the same fads and trends that regular teens are susceptible to. She looks just as silly as any other teenage girl who chooses to walk around in public with vampire fangs ;)

[Photo credit: Bauer-Griffin]

I believe this is the first time little Mercy has been exposed the colder UK temps but she sure does look cute in her little down coat. Lourdes looks like she’s been raiding her mother’s closets for as many things that don’t go together as possible … and, natch, she looks fab. Lola is a straightup Madonna clone. Back in the 80’s, Madonna clones were called wannabes … but I think it’s OK to be a wannabe if you’re Madonna’s own child :)

[Photo credit: Bauer-Griffin]

Last night the pre-teen joined her mother on stage, on the penultimate night of her Sticky & Sweet world tour in Israel. Lourdes came on stage as Madonna sang Give It 2 Me, and is likely to appear again tonight on the final night of the tour. The youngster has already made an appearance in the first release of Madonna’s new Celebration track. It features the 51-year-old singer dressed in a sequinned mini-dress and thigh-high boots who walks provocatively up to her 22-year-old boyfriend Jesus Luz in an attempt to seduce him. Luz, posing as a topless DJ, ends up kissing the mother-of-four before the scene cuts to a troupe of breakdancers – including Lourdes.

It looks like Madonna is slowly introducing her daughter into the world of showbiz as Lourdes will also appear, dressed in Madge’s iconic Like A Virgin wedding garb, in another version of the Celebration music video which is set for release next week. After the jump, check out Lola dressed as a “virginal” bride and watch a short clip of mother and daughter on stage last night …

I mean … Lola looks really cute as a little bride … but I’m not sure what message is meant to be sent of a little girl dressed as a bride from a song called Like A Virgin. HMMM.

Here is a clip of Madonna and Lourdes on stage in Israel last night:

The time has come Madonna fans! The ‘Celebration’ video directed by Jonas Akerlund has just been released and we have a related surprise for you: It’s a Celebration, right? So let’s all join the fun: Click HERE to download the full video now! Please note that this download special is available for a limited time only so make sure to join the party before it’s too late! You want more? The Celebration album is now available for pre-order from iTunes! Pre-order the album and video compilation by a clicking HERE and get the exclusive previously unreleased bonus track ‘It’s So Cool’.

The Celebration video, as you can see above, features a guest appearance/dance performance by Maddy’s firstborn child Lourdes Maria … but her younger toyboy Jesus Luz also makes an appearance in the vid … as a DJ. After the jump, check out a few more screencaps from the video of Madonna & Child in the video — after she strips off his top, the two engage in some major smooch action …

Clearly, Madonna felt it was time to show the world that she and Jesus are in lurve. This is the first time the couple have been seen kissing, well, at least on purpose (you may recall the couple were caught smooching in private when they were celebrating her birthday last month). Make sure you head over to iTunes to download this video now … it won’t be available for free download for long.

UPDATE: While it lasts, you can watch Celebration on You Tube below:

Madonna visited on Sunday workers injured while building a stage for her concert in southern France, as well as meeting the family of one of two workers killed in the accident. A French worker was killed on the spot on Thursday when part of the roof over the stage being built for the pop singer’s concert collapsed while a British worker died in hospital a day later. Eight other workers were injured, five seriously, and are being treated at two hospitals. The concert had been scheduled for Sunday, but it was canceled immediately after the incident. “We are very touched that an actress (and musician) with such talent and quality has also an extraordinary amount of human qualities as well,” Marseille Mayor Jean-Claude Gaudin told reporters outside one hospital. “She has already gone to Aix-en-Province, I think, to see the family of this worker who unfortunately has died. And, she comes here to the hospital in Marseille to meet the injured. So, we are very touched.” Marseille public prosecutors have launched an inquiry into the deaths at the Velodrome stadium. A police source said one of the four cranes used to erect the stage slipped, causing the roof to buckle. Madonna, who was in Italy at the time of the accident, issued a statement saying she was devastated by the news and expressed her deepest sympathies to all those affected. Marseille city authorities said all the victims worked for Live Nation, the company which was preparing the show. The next stop on Madonna’s “Sticky and Sweet” tour is scheduled for Barcelona, Spain on Tuesday, July 21.

Kudos to Madonna for taking the time to visit her injured crewman in the hospital. While I’m pretty certain she was not on a first name basis with her stage crew, I’m sure it means a lot to them that she cares enough to visit them in the hospital to check on their progress. I’m sure it was devastating for her to learn that two men lost their lives in that terrible accident, I think it was very cool of her to personally visit the injured crew. Even tho she had nothing at all to do with the accident, it’s clear that she feels some bit of responsibility for her crewman. I hope they all heal well and will back on their feet in no time. My thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the men who lost their lives.

[Photo credit: Bauer-Griffin; Source]

These have to be the cutest pics of Maddy’s kids yet. They all seem to be having an amazingly fun time … and the look on Mercy James’s cute little face really tells the tale here. She is incredibly beautiful … I love these photos. I’m sure it’s a bit difficult for the kids to be on the road with their mother (tho, on the other hand, they prolly love spending their Summer vacation touring the world) but it looks like there is a lot of playtime built into their schedule. These are fun pics, y’all. I love them :)

[Photo credit: X17]

Madonna will be on tour up until early September so she and the kiddies have plenty of private planing ahead of them. It looks like little Miss Mercy James is getting a crash course in luxurious living now that she’s officially part of Maddy’s family. Here’s hoping it’s a successful tour … in every respect.

[Photo credit: Bauer-Griffin]

If Mercy James looks a little bewildered, it’s simply because she’s come such a long way. And not just in miles. The little girl who started life in a spartan African orphanage found herself checking into the sumptuous splendour of the Ritz when Madonna brought the family to Paris. Its five-star luxury could offer no starker contrast to the life Mercy left behind in poverty-stricken Malawi when Madonna won her battle to adopt her last month. And her wide-eyed wonder as she arrived at the historic hotel with the 50-year-old singer showed she is still adjusting to a way of life her friends back home would never even dream of. Clutching her new mother’s hand, four-year-old Mercy insisted on stopping in the street as they got out of their car in front of the hotel. Still holding tight for reassurance, she twisted around to take in the beauty of the Paris street and the imposing facade of the Ritz. In a pale pink hooded jacket, jeans and matching pink pumps,she looked like any little girl dressed by a fashion-conscious mother … Mercy is going to have to get used to travelling – albeit in luxurious style – as her pop star mother shows no signs of slowing down her career. Also in the travelling party were Madonna’s adopted son David, 3, and daughter Lourdes, 13. Only son Rocco, who yesterday attended the Harry Potter premiere in London, could not be seen. Meanwhile Madonna is said to be in talks with Simon Cowell about performing on this year’s series of The X Factor. A show source told The Sun: ‘The last series proved anything is possible when Beyonce performed with Alex – the final got 15 million viewers and that is enough to entice the biggest stars onto our stage. “This year is going to be bigger than ever – we are planning to get the best names in music. Madonna would be so sensational.”

Aww … Mercy in pink — so cute!! Yes, I believe that Rocco was not with the rest of his sibs because he stayed back in London for a bit of extra time with his father Guy Ritchie. It must really be a huge shock to the system for little Mercy to go from an orphanage to the most luxurious places in the world. She is absolutely a beautiful child. Madonna is so lucky to be her mother.

[Photo credit: Splash News; Source]

Mercy Chifundo James, the 3-year-old toddler adopted by Madonna, was secretly flown from her home country of Malawi into London early Saturday morning. “A private jet flew in from South Africa and collected her at five minutes to six last evening,” an airport source tells PEOPLE. “She connected to London from Johannesburg at 10:30 p.m.” Mercy, who will be joining big sister, Lourdes, brothers Rocco and David Banda, – also a 3-year-old from Malawi – was accompany by a nanny, a child nurse and another aide. Madonna has homes in England and in the United States … Madonna, who was seen leaving London by private jet Friday afternoon after earlier flying in from New York’s JFK airport, was still expected in Malawi, but no one could confirm when she would arrive. “There are still preparation for her coming,” said a source at Raising Malawi, the charity the singer set up in the African nation. “We still have a two-week booking at Kumbali Lodge.” The Lodge is an exclusive ranch Madonna has been staying during all three of her visits to Malawi. Owner Guy Pickering confirmed his place has been booked for two weeks but could not divulge more. “We don’t discuss our clients; that’s private information,” he said.

HMMM … all of this seems … wrong. My guess is that the report that Mercy left Malawi is a ruse to throw people off track. It seems more likely to me that the little girl was flown to the Kumbali Lodge to meet up with Madonna and co. to begin the bonding process. If the family is scheduled to be in Malawi for a couple of weeks then I’m sure that’s where everyone is meeting up. Whatever the case may be, I am happy to know that the adoption process is moving forward and things appear to be on track. Mercy will return home with her new family soon enough … but for now, bonding. Sounds like a good plan to me.

[Source, Source]