Madonna Adoption Bid to be Assessed Next Month

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

A Malawian official is to visit the home of Madonna and her husband Guy Ritchie next month to assess whether the couple are suitable parents for Malawi-born David Banda.

Madonna took custody of David Banda in October 2006 when she was granted an 18-month interim custody order.

However, the full adoption will only be finalized when Malawi authorities are fully satisfied that the child is properly cared for.

Malawi social worker Penstone Kilembe, who is due to begin his visit to Madonna’s home on September 4, was quoted as saying that Madonna was looking forward to the visit “so her adoption process is not hampered”.

However, there has been some controversy over the visit in Malawi and it appeared at one point that it might have been cancelled following an apparent disagreement between Mr. Kilembe and authorities.

Kate Kainja, the Malawian minister of women and child development, allegedly tried to deny Mr. Kilembe permission to assess Madonna’s suitability to adopt David Banda.

However, Mr. Kilembe said the whole matter was a “misunderstanding” and confirmed his visit is now scheduled for September 4.

The proposed adoption caused a huge media storm when news of Madonna’s plans broke last year. Many questioned the ethics of Madonna adopting the boy, whose father is still alive.

David Banda had originally been put in an orphanage by his father Yohane Banda when his wife died.  When Madonna found the youngster he was suffering from pneumonia after surviving tuberculosis and malaria.

In a revealing interview with Oprah Winfrey last year, Madonna revealed: “I wanted to go into a Third World country, I wasn’t sure where, and give a life to a child who might not otherwise have had one.

“An eight-year-old girl who is living with HIV was holding this child. I became transfixed by him. But I didn’t yet know I was going to adopt him. I was just drawn to him.”