Madonna is summoning support from Malawian citizens as she fights to adopt orphan Mercy James from the country, opening up about her dreams for the young girl to one day return and “help the people.”
The Material Girl’s request for an interim adoption of 3-year-old Mercy was turned down by a court in the country’s capital, Lilongwe, earlier this month.
She has launched an appeal against the ruling, but has come under fire from some human rights groups and children’s charities amid claims that the tot would be better off in her own country.
And now the star has opened up about her aspirations for Mercy and her 3-year-old Malawian son David Banda — whose adoption was made official last year — in an email to Malawi’s Nation newspaper.
She writes, “I want to provide Mercy with a home, a loving family environment and the best education and healthcare possible. And it’s my hope that she, like David, will one day return to Malawi and help the people of their country.”
Thanking her supporters while waiting for her next hearing, she adds: “Though I have been advised that I cannot publicly discuss the pending appeal regarding my desire to adopt Mercy, I do want to say how much I appreciate the level of support that I have received from the people of Malawi and my friends around the world.”
Madonna adopted David Banda from Malawi in 2006 amidst outrage by human rights organizations who claimed she was using her celebrity to bend local laws. She is also mom to Rocco, 8, from her marriage to Guy Ritchie, and Lourdes, from a previous relationship.
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