A Chara, - Two recent articles in your newspaper, both sharply critical of Madonna's adoption of a child in Malawi, give an impression of a selfish, ego-driven celebrity, concerned only with buying happiness for herself.
In the interest of balance, your readers may wish to know that the charity which Madonna set up some time ago, Raising Malawi, has been dedicated to increasing worldwide awareness of the desperate plight of orphans in that country, where an estimated 30 per cent of children have Aids.
The charity, to which Madonna herself has donated over £3 million, provides food, water, schooling, clothing, medicines, agricultural and educational support. It has recently begun building an orphanage for 4,000 children with HIV.
On Madonna's recent concert tour, a significant element of the show involved video footage of African orphans, statistics on Aids and websites for charities, having a huge impact on more than a million people worldwide who attended the concerts.
Following the massive publicity surrounding her trip to Malawi, how many more people are now aware of the scale of the humanitarian disaster there, and how much easier will it be for any other charity to raise money for that cause?
With passion, commitment and values like those, David Banda is going to a very good home. - Is mise,
DAVID CARROLL,
Castle Gate,
Dublin 2.