Madonna Writes Back

Wed., Oct. 18, 2006 2:10 PM PDT by Sarah Hall

Madonna has finally shed a ray of light on her Malawian adoption.

In an open letter released Tuesday, the Material Mom denied reports she skirted the country's law in adopting 13-month-old David Banda and insisted that she has played by the rules "like anyone else who adopts a child."

The singer, who signed the letter as Madonna Ritchie, claimed that she and her husband, Guy Ritchie, began the adoption process "many months prior to our trip to Malawi" but chose not to go public with the news, as "this is a private family matter."

"After learning that there were over one million orphans in Malawi, it was my wish to open up our home and help one child escape an extreme life of hardship, poverty and in many cases, death, as well as expand our family," Madonna wrote.

That one child was David, who arrived in London Tuesday on a British Airways flight from Johannesburg, South Africa and was escorted by police to Madonna's London abode.

Madonna and Ritchie left Malawi last week, but could not take the child with them, as his passport was still being processed. According to the singer's longtime rep, Liz Rosenberg, David was granted both his passport and visa on Monday, enabling him to rejoin the family.

Malawi's High Court granted the couple an interim order allowing them to take custody of David for 18 months. They will not be allowed to permanently adopt the boy until the case has been reviewed by Malawian social workers, who must report their findings within two years.

"This was not a decision or commitment that my family or I take lightly," Madonna wrote.

Prior to his association with his famous kin, David had been living at the Home of Hope orphanage in the town of Mchinji. His mother died soon after his birth, and his father gave him up because he was unable to care for him.

Despite Madonna's claim that she had gone through the proper channels in seeking to adopt David, human rights and child protection groups in Malawi were outraged by the apparent speed with which she was able to take custody of the child and planned to challenge the adoption in court to ensure the rules had not been bent for the singer because of her fame.

However, the boy's father, Yohane Banda, lashed out at critics of the adoption, stating that he had made the decision in David's best interests.

"Where were these people when David was struggling in the orphanage? These so-called human rights groups should leave my baby alone," he told the Associated Press. "As father I have OKed this, I have no problem. The village has no problem. Who are they to cause trouble? Please let them stop."

He called Madonna a "kindhearted woman" and said he was grateful to her for taking his son out of the orphanage.

Madonna has pledged $3 million dollars to the impoverished nation through her Raising Malawi fund and is spearheading the construction of an orphanage that will be able to care for up to 4,000 children.

"I am overwhelmed and inspired by my trip to Malawi and hope that it helps bring attention to how much more the world needs to do to help the children of Africa," she wrote.