Madonna to Establish $15 Million School in Malawi
Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage.com
Madonna is headed back to Malawi -- with education, not adoption, on her agenda.
The 51-year-old singer is expected to visit the African country this weekend on behalf of her charity, Raising Malawi, and lay the foundation stone for the $15 million school she is building there.
"She plans to meet the President Bingu wa Mutharika and together lay a foundation stone for her multi-million dollar girls school," a staffer at the charity, who declined to be named, told Reuters Thursday.
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There is no word yet if Madonna's adopted children who once called the country home -- David, 4, and Mercy James, 3 -- will make the trip.
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Plans to break ground on the school come two years after another high-profile philanthropist, Oprah Winfrey, opened a boarding school for girls in South Africa. The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy School for girls opened its doors in 2007, only to be shaken by two sex scandals in less than two years.
Madonna divorced British filmmaker Guy Ritchie, with whom she has a son, Rocco, 8, last year. She also has 12-year-old daughter, Lourdes, from her relationship with fitness trainer Carlos Leon.
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13NOT SAYING THAT WE DONT NEED GIRL SCHOOLS OUT THERE IN OTHER COUNTRIES BUT WHAT HAPPEN TO THE BOYS SCHOOLS. AREN'T THEY JUST AS IMPORTANT AS THE GIRLS.??????????
NOT SAYING THAT WE DONT NEED GIRL SCHOOLS OUT THERE IN OTHER COUNTRIES BUT WHAT HAPPEN TO THE BOYS SCHOOLS. AREN'T THEY JUST AS IMPORTANT AS THE GIRLS.??????????
She does a good deed and people find a reason to hate and criticize; I think that says more about the posters than her. She has given millions out of her personal account to Raising Malawi and other organizations working in Malawi, like UNICEF and other NGOs. She's also given to many charities throughout the years and has various foundations, not just one, which Fixed News so kindly disregarded. They also failed to point out the $8.5m she currently has in that foundation and the $3.5m that foundation gave the year prior. This school has been in the making for almost two years and it's not the first school she has set up. Besides schools and health centers, there are several orphanages and college scholarships she is funding. Go to the site and under "progress" you will see all the things Raising Malawi has done in only 3 years. And you know what? It's her money and she can do as she pleases with it. She could buy herself 100s of homes, outfits, or shoes, like other celebrities- she earned it throughout the past 30 years- but she's choosing to do good things with it. As for the person asking what she has done in the USA-she has helped fund one school in LA, one in NY, and has given to various mentor organizations and other after school programs designed to help disadvantaged children. Those are only the few things she has done. She just doesn't send out a front page advertisement to let everyone know about it like other celebrities.
$15 million dollars COULD build many adequate school structures all over the country, plus buy tons of books to educate the masses. In a country as poor as Malawim building a $15 million dollar shrine to Madonna and callig it a school for the selected few is all about her own EGO.
I don't get it... WTH are these celebs doing? I don't give a crap if they build a $15million school in Africa.. that's great... BUT... I believe she has made a bunch of that bread and butter right here in the good ole' U.S.A. What is she doing for MY country? (The country that made her the ruthless, rich, woman that she is)
Be careful Moodonna, remember Ocra's school!
Lovely. I hope the women of Malawi succeed in every way.
She can't be doing this out of the kindness of her heart... does she have a new album coming out?
Has been
Madge, you will never be as cool as Oprah. Give it up already!
Brad, Angie, it's time to let go of the $22 million in kid pix money you've been secretly sitting on. This b i t c h means business. Charity, such a competitive, PUBLIC sport. God Bless the Charity Chic. And their press releases.
she was just outed for only giving a few hundred thousand $$ but she raked in 100 million in the year alone. she's a fake!
Building one $15 million dollar school is as self serving as Oprh's Acadamy. If you really want to help educate these poor people, do it ina way that helps somany more and let of your own ego. $15 million dallars will buy so many more books to be used at multilple locations and can spread the knowledge to educate the country not just a few priviilidged few.