BLANTYRE, Malawi — Madonna's plans to adopt a second child from Malawi have been confirmed, with officials saying the girl's name is Mercy James and that the case will be reviewed in court Monday morning.
"She has no father and mother, they both died," an official at the ministry of Gender and Child Development told Reuters on Friday, while adding that James was from Mchinji Home of Hope orphanage." We finished the assessment yesterday in readiness for the courts next week."
Word broke yesterday that Madonna was traveling to Malawi this weekend with the intention of adopting a second child from the impoverished African country. The 50-year-old singer drew criticism when she adopted her 3-year-old son, David Banda, from the country in 2006. Malawian law requires would-be parents to reside in the country for one year before adopting, a rule that was essentially broken in her case.
Madonna's latest plan is also controversial since Malawi does not typically grant adoptions to single or divorced parents, an issue after her recent split from Guy Ritchie.
"As far as we are concerned, nothing has changed in terms of adoption laws in the country," Mavuto Bamusi, national coordinator for the 60-member Human Rights Consultative Committee, told Reuters.
In a recent interview with Malawi's The Nation, Madonna said she was considering another adoption, but only if she had "the support of the Malawian people and government."
In addition to David, Mercy James would join Madonna's two biological children, Lourdes 12, and Rocco, 8.
Madonna first visited Malawi during a charity mission and to film a documentary on the poverty and AIDS crisis there. She runs the charity Raising Malawi and is also establishing a school for girls there.
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