Madonna revisits Malawi

Madonna, her daughter and the young Malawian boy she is in the process of adopting visited his old orphanage in Malawi today.

Children at the church-run Home of Hope orphanage in Mchinji, a village near the Zambian border, sang and recited lessons for the pop star, while her daughter, Lourdes, took video footage.

Madonna was visiting to oversee her charity projects in the impoverished country. When she visited last autumn she took custody of the then 14-month-old David Banda, who was in Home of Hope after the death of his mother.

The move sparked controversy and raised concerns that regulations were being swept aside to benefit a pop star who has been generous to the country.

Madonna maintains she has followed the law.

Madonna’s security and police tried to stop journalists and onlookers from entering the orphanage compound today but villagers, mainly children, clambered over the waist-high wall and rushed in.

The orphanage has been the scene of much excitement in recent weeks with the road leading to it graded, new flowers planted and new uniforms for the children.

Malawi is among the poorest countries in the world, with disease and hunger, aggravated by periodic droughts and crop failure. Just over 14% of the 12 million population are infected with HIV, the virus that causes Aids, and an estimated one million children have been orphaned.

In many villages, grandparents or older siblings struggle to feed the orphans.

Madonna aims to provide food, education and shelter for up to 4,000 Malawian children.