Sunday Times (Johannesburg) - October 15, 2006
Charles Molele

But within a month, the infant, affectionately known as Davie, was a healthy bouncing boy - thanks to being given proper nutrition and medical care at the institution in central Malawi.

And so delighted were his carers by his progress that they dubbed him the "miracle baby" and routinely showed him off to visitors to illustrate their good work.

It was David's story that apparently won the heart of pop star Madonna, who adopted David this week. The singer was apparently told about him by members of her logistics and security team, who visited Malawi months ago in preparation for her trip.

A carer at the orphanage told the Sunday Times this week that the pop star had been shown pictures of several boys when she visited the orphanage. But she fell for David.

"She kept on going back to Davie's pictures. She had wanted to adopt a girl but changed her mind two weeks ago when she arrived," said the carer, who asked not to be identified because he was not an official spokesman.

"She picked him up from the floor and played with him like one of her own children. Later she carried him on her back the way African mothers carry their children."

On Tuesday David left the home with Madonna, 48, her film-director husband Guy Ritchie, 38, and two bodyguards, for Kimbali Country Lodge, owned by South Africans Guy and Maureen Pickering, outside Lilongwe.

The tree-covered ranch, which breeds horses and cattle, lies next to President Bingu wa Mutharika's fortified 300-bed, $100-million New State House in Lilongwe, and a shantytown housing the capital's poor.

David's new surroundings were a far cry from the six-block orphanage that had been his home for 10 months.

They were even further from the one-room mud hut in Lipunga village, near the Zambian border, where his remaining parent, father Yohane Banda, lives.

Banda, 32, who earns around R58 a month from growing potatoes and onions, placed his only child in care following the death of his 28-year-old wife, Marita, a week after she gave birth to David on September 24 last year.

When he arrived at the Home of Hope orphanage in Mchinji, about 110km from Lilongwe, David was malnourished and weak.

His father had not had the money to buy him infant formula or nappies.

But proper care helped him thrive.

"The boy was not in good health and we feared for the worst, but God had his plans for him," said one of the teachers at the home, established nine years ago by 77-year-old pastor Thomson Chipeta after he lost six of his seven children.

Madonna, recently named the wealthiest entertainer in the world, with an estimated fortune of 250-million pounds, has mansions in London and California and a jet-set lifestyle.

This has not escaped baby David's family, who welcomed his adoption by the star.

"I am happy because the future of Davie will be great compared to ours, and that is very important," said the boy's uncle, Azere Zimba.

"We are very poor. There are no jobs here. There is no water or sanitation. The boy has been saved from growing potatoes and onions like the rest of us."

Banda, his sister Emilia Banda and father Sonyezani Banda consented to the adoption, which was allowed to go ahead despite a ban in Malawi on adoptions by non-residents.

In a Lilongwe High Court ruling on Thursday, Judge Andrew Nyirenda said he was satisfied that the child's welfare would be guaranteed.

He set several conditions on the adoption, though, including a review of the order after 18 months to determine whether Madonna and Ritchie had fulfilled all the requirements, and the adoption itself faces another challenge by a children's rights group.

Meanwhile, while Madonna's visit generated great excitement among ordinary Malawians, it was largely ignored by the local media after the singer declined to give press conferences or appear in public.

Madonna arrived in the country last Wednesday to highlight her Raising Malawi charity, which is building a home for 4000 children.

Malawi, which has a population of 12million, is one of the poorest countries in sub-Saharan Africa and has been badly hit by the HIV/Aids pandemic, which has affected nearly every family. There are at least a million orphans in Malawi, largely due to the Aids pandemic.

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