Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2008. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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afrol News - April 14, 2008
Malawian government had earlier endorsed Madonna's adoption of the two-year-old David Banda.
Madonna and husband Guy Ritchie have been adopting the young Malawian boy since October 2006. The couple met David at an orphanage.
But the lawyers of the pop singer applied for the case to be delayed until the end of the month to allow their client take part in another engagement in the United States.
Madonna's critics, including child rights activists, accused the singer of hiding behind her celebrity status to "fast-track" David's adoption and got away with it.
However, the Madonna vehemently denied such allegations.
"People always ask me why I chose Malawi. And I tell them, I didn't. It chose me," 'Vanity Fair' quoted Madonna as saying.
"I got a phone call from a woman named Victoria Keelan. She was born and raised in Malawi. She told me that there were over one million children orphaned by AIDS. She said there weren't enough orphanages.
"And that the children were everywhere. Living on the streets. Sleeping under bridges. Hiding in abandoned buildings. Being abducted, kidnapped, raped. She said it was a state of emergency. She sounded exhausted and on the verge of tears. I asked her how I could help."
Madonna said she had felt embarrassed when Victoria told her that as a person with resources, people pay attention to what she does and says.
"I told her I didn't know where Malawi was. She told me to look it up on a map, and then she hung up on me. I decided to investigate, and I ended up finding out much more than I bargained for, about Malawi, about myself, about humanity."
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