A MALAWIAN minister today praised Madonna’s efforts to rally support for orphans there saying it would be wrong for the government to deny the pop star’s adoption of a child.

Madonna, who is in the process of adopting a Malawian boy, David Banda, hosted a New York charity event last week that raised millions of dollars for the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the US singer’s orphan care projects in Malawi.

"This country owes her so much. Very few famous people would take their time off to rally other celebrities to raise money for a poor country like Malawi, which very few people know about," Information Minister Patricia Kaliati said.

"It will be wrong for Malawi to even dare deny this wonderful woman all the rights to be a parent of David and many more Malawian children," Kaliati said.

Madonna is due to appear before a Malawi court in April for a final hearing on Banda’s adoption. She began the adoption proceedings in 2006 after meeting the boy in a local orphanage.

The toddler, now about two years old, is living with Madonna and her film director husband Guy Ritchie in London.

Source: The Sun, Drowned Madonna