Madonna & Malawi, Take 2

Because Madonna recently divorced her husband – British filmmaker Guy Ritchie, the singer may once again face issues with the adoption as Malawi does not approve adoptions for single or divorced parents.

Although some are concerned Madonna will once again bend adoption rules, everything may be fair and square as the Malawi welfare official said each case is considered on its own merit.

Three government officials told the Associated Press on condition of anonymity that Madonna was undergoing adoption proceedings.

An official at the Malawi welfare department said Madonna had filed adoption papers. Another person in Malawi working on the case said she would be in the country this weekend and her adoption case could go to court there as soon as Monday. A U.S. government official confirmed the Material Girl’s adoption bid was ongoing.

Last week the singer told Malawi’s leading daily newspaper The Nation she was thinking about adoption but only if she had “the support of the Malawian people and government.”

The controversy surrounding Madonna’s adopted son David, who is now 3, stemmed from a Malawian regulation that stipulates that prospective parents undergo an 18- to 24-month assessment period in Malawi.

After Madonna met David at a Malawian orphanage in October 2006, she and Richie took David to their London home. The adoption wasn’t official until last May.

Following two home visits, a Malawi welfare wrote that Madonna was a “perfect mum.”

In 2006 Madonna filmed a documentary in Malawi about the country’s extreme poverty and AIDS crisis. More than 14 percent of the country’s 12 million people have HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. An estimated 1 million children are orphans.

Last year she opened a day care center funded by her charity and she is also opening a school for girls in Malawi.

In addition to David, Madonna also has an 8-year-old son, Rocco, with Ritchie and a 12-year-old daughter, Lourdes, from a previous relationship.

Read the Associated Press article here.