Madonna Plants A Tree In Malawi

LILONGWE, Malawi — Madonna marked the start of construction of her school for girls in Malawi on Monday by planting a tree at the planned site of the $15 million school.

The 51-year-old celebrity arrived in the impoverished southern African country on Sunday accompanied by her four children – daughters Lourdes and Mercy, and sons Rocco and David.

Madonna adopted Mercy from Malawi earlier this year and adopted David from the country in 2008.

The singer was dressed in a dark summer dress and a colorful shawl during Monday's ceremony in the town of Chinkhota, some six miles (10 kilometers) from the capital, Lilongwe. Together with eldest daughter Lourdes she planted a Moringa tree, a hardy tree with edible leaves.

"If this school is a success – with God-willing it will be – we will replicate it not only in Malawi but in other parts of the world as well," she said.

The new school will be called the Raising Malawi Academy for Girls and will open by 2011 and educate 500 students, said its future principal, Anjimile Mtila-Opponyo. It will be similar to the school built by talk show host Oprah Winfrey in South Africa.

Mtila-Opponyo said the curriculum will emphasize science and mathematics.

"Madonna did not accept that Malawian women would not study science to become doctors," she said.

The singer told some 1,000 gathered villagers she was inspired by the strength of Malawian girls and women.

"In all my travels, investigations and conversations the most recurring thing is how amazing Malawian women are, both young and old, how industrious they are and how much they deserve to be educated," she said.

Madonna's Raising Malawi, a charity founded in 2006 when she first visited the country, helps feed, educate and provide medical care for some of Malawi's orphans.

Malawi, a nation of 12 million, is one of the poorest countries in the world. About 500,000 children have lost a parent to AIDS.

Madonna will also meet with President Bingu wa Mutharika on Tuesday and visit some of the orphanages her charity supports.

Comments

[CoconutLime]

What is she doing? Having sex with the tree?

[regwag]

I am amazed by some of the comments here, I have to say that. Seems like it's just so much fun to attack her, it doesn't really matter what it is she is doing, as soon as it's Madonna, it's bad.

Can't we at least applaud her when she does something applaudable? Come on, people, just 'cause you don't like her doesn't mean you have to attack her for HELPING OTHERS. She has been putting money and energy into "Raising Malawi" for quite some time now. She didn't just plant a tree, by the way, she's building a school for girls - something that I, personally, as a woman and feminist, can only support.

Give the woman a break, let her build her girls' academy and instead of spreading bad energy by trashing Madonna, let's put our energy into doing something constructive.

[CoconutLime]

What? LIke taking care of our own before the rest of the world? Nah... Americans don't matter. :-/

[lmcshea]

I hate that picture - It looks like she cut her face and it's bleeding. My heart literally dropped! You'd think out of the thousands of photos these photographers get just holding the shutter release down on these celebrities, they'd have a decent one to put with an excellent article. Anyways, MADONNA IS INCREDIBLE! Love her. Love her LOVE her!

[CoconutLime]

Whoa! Don't get too excited there!

[SusanStoHelit]

Education - that's the way to change the future.

It is a wonderful thing - to mock helping people with nothing - it's beyond me how you can do that.

[katielady]

where is IAMMASSU???? this is where his comments fit!!!

[Shewolf68]

Madonna has become such an 'also ran, me too" person. Oprah goes to africa..everyone goes to africa. Brad and Angelina adopt an african baby, Madonna has to adopt an african baby. Oprah sets up a school, Madonna opens up a school in Africa. Maybe she will get style tips from Khloe Kardashian..lol

Not slighting the good works being done ( keep it up for that matter...hell, accelerate it) but Madonna's days being an iconoclast...are long over!!

[Epiphany2b]

First you tear her to shreds and doubt her motivation, then you say you're not slighting the good works she does. Is it not acceptable to do something that has already been done before? Is a billionaire not to donate money to the hungry and ill of the world because Bill Gates has already done it? Seems to me the more people who jump on the bandwagon the better for everyone all across the world.

I would imagine she is perfectly content to no longer be an iconoclast. Now she has turned her attention to better things. I give her far more respect for what she's doing now, than anything she's ever done before.

[picval]

Madonna is a self serving woman; who plants a tree in high heals? Only a woman who wanted her picture taken!

[Epiphany2b]

I wouldn't care if she did it just to be photographed, the bottom line is that she is doing good in the world. Can the rest of us say that we are as well?

[KIVPossum]

Lot of Madonna hate going around this morning. How many of the nay-sayers cut a check to a third world school or orphanage this month?

My wife and I support a small orphanage and when we ask people in the states to help, they want to pack up ragged old clothes or broken toys and ship them. Durn, they spend 100$ shipping something we don't need. We need the 100$ to feed 5 kids for a week.

[rzan1]

Well, pin a medal on you, Mr. Self-Righteous. Americans do contribute. I am unemployed but do my best. I am not supporting a small orphanage, however, so you can one up me and everybody else who does not meet your ridiculous standards of generosity. By the way, and this it not to put down Madonna's helping others, she has millions of dollars at her disposal. She is an overpaid entertainer with meager talent. She should be contributing.

[KIVPossum]

Sorry if I implied I consider myself better than anyone, surely did not mean to give that impression. I was commenting on how many people make negative comments about her, or Brin, or any other rich person who give money, yet don't part with any of their own. Any time anyone gives it's good.

Also commenting on how silly some methods of helping really are - in that people readily spend good money to send us things we don't need rather than part with the actual cash so we can buy what we need. We approached a church in America and they refused to send money, but gladly us bibles, in English.

[newTheory]

I wonder if the ha+ers would put up $15mil to backup their cynicism of Madonna. It's great that she is doing this.

[rzan1]

Most of us are not multi-millionaires. You, it seems, are the hater.

[iBlog4Fun]

Do you review your comments to ensure they make sense at all?
By the way, what's this 'orphanage' call? Quick! no Googling ! Too late.

[dan309]

No, simpletons, it's not about planting a tree. It's about doing this amazing thing for young women from a country that believes they are second class human beings and shouldn't believe in a future that includes inner strength and something as simple as education. Grow up.

[SColbert]

And I ate lunch today...

[CowgirlAmy]

Really cool. Thanks Madonna.

From AID/HIV education and funding to cancer funding to this- great work.

[JegElsker]

Bravo Madonna! . . . and NO I am NOT a FAN!

[MIKEinNYC]

Maybe she thinks children grow on trees.

[sharonb01]

Good for her. 500,000 children have lost a parent to AIDS. That is more children than I have ever seen in all my long life. Imagine if every child you see, everywhere, had lost a parent to AIDS. A school is a drop in the bucket, but it's a very dry bucket and even a drop is something.