Madonna Returns To Malawi

Madonna took David – the son she adopted in 2006 – and Mercy, the daughter she adopted in 2009, back to to visit their homeland of Malawi last week.

The family arrived on Monday, April 5th and stayed for five days. Madonna says that she wants to make sure that her children maintain their emotional ties to their homeland. She’s also promised to take family trips to Malawi twice a year.

“Malawi has become my second home,” Madonna said during a farewell event organized by members of Raising Malawi, a charity she established in Malawi. “I will be coming here twice every year.”

Raising Malawi is building the Raising Malawi Academy for Girls to educate young Malawi girls from poor backgrounds. While in Malawi, Madonna laid the first brick for that academy. She already funds several Malawian charities, including homes for children with AIDS, and she also recently built a community center that looks after more than 8,000 orphans. Last week, the star launched Connect to Learn with Professor Jeffrey Sachs and Ericsson CEO Hanz Vestburg. Connect to Learn’s goal is to encourage online learning for children in developing countries.

“It pains me as a mother to see children suffering because they can’t get food or clothes,” she said. “I want to use what I have to make the world a better place where everyone will enjoy life.”