Malawi's head of child welfare services is to stay with Madonna and Guy Ritchie next month in London to decide whether or not they can formally adopt David Banda, the two-year-old African toddler they bought back to the UK last October. Penston Kilembe is set to move into the couple's £6.5 million home in Marylebone to conduct a "home study" of how David is adapting to his new circumstances and see if media interest is having a negative impact on the tot.
"The child is on a probationary period so we are going to check that he is bonding with his new family," the adoption official explained to the Daily Mail. He goes on to explain that he is scheduled to have a series of meetings with welfare organisations. "I will meet the social services agency in their area. I want to watch what family life is like. I just want to make sure the child is happy and with a good family. I have met both Madonna and Guy Ritchie and they seem like nice people.
Madonna, who is also mum to Lourdes, ten, and seven year-old Rocco, will be hoping this is the last hurdle to cross in an adoption process that has been fraught with controversy - mainly because it was discovered that David's father is still alive, and living near to the Malawi orphanage in which his son had been placed. A public backlash led the singer to go on TV to defend her actions.
Her actor pal Rupert Everett has spoken out in support of the singer. "I think (she's) been given a really rough deal about it," he said. "I think it's outrageous how she has been treated. Adopting a kid is adopting a kid. It's great, There's no question that it's better for him to be growing up in Madonna's family than in a Malawian orphanage."
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