In Africa it seems to be all misery and nothing but problems, in the past few months we have had the attempted assassination of the Somali President, the invasion of Northern Somali towns by Ethiopian troops, continuing ethnic problems is Darfur (Sudan) and more than 20 people have been killed in political clashes in the DR Congo capital, Kinshasa, in the latest round of elections.
To top this off, Madonna has been to Africa to adopt a child called David, throwing Malawi into the worlds media. A group of Malawian charities sought a court injunction to try and block the pop star Madonnas bid to adopt a baby boy. A group of Malawian charities said that pop star Madonnas bid to adopt a boy was illegal and sought a court injunction halting the adoption.
The charity obviously didnt have the power (money, fame?) that Madonna has and the adopted baby arrived in UK recently to start his new and privileged life. They have secured a temporary 18-month custody order from the Malawi courts and hope to adopt him formally. How is adopting individual children from overseas going to help with the bigger problem of rampant child poverty in Malawi? Does it matter? Is this not a case of child trafficking?
Westminster Council, which covers the area where Madonna lives in the UK has stated that they regularly received applications from residents wishing to adopt from overseas. I dont understand - Why is this the case when there are hundreds of child in the UK that need adopting and a home just as much as baby David. Would baby David not be better off in his own extended family and community? Louise Richards, from War on Want, added: