Madonna has publicly thanked everyone who helped to build a new hospital wing named after her adopted daughter Mercy James in the child’s native Malawi.
Madonna has been working with officials at the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in the city of Blantyre and the Malawi Ministry of Health for the past two years to oversee the construction of a new children’s wing, which she is funding through her Raising Malawi Foundation.
The Mercy James Institute for Pediatric Surgery and Intensive Care, which she named after her 11-year-old in October, had a soft opening last wee, when doctors performed their first surgery in the unit, and it’s set for an official launch on July 11.
As Madonna prepares for the big unveiling, the first building of its kind in Malawi, she has issued a statement to thank all involved in helping to bring her dream to fruition.
“When you look into the eyes of children in need, wherever they may be, a human being wants to do anything and everything they can to help, and on my first visit to Malawi, I made a commitment that I would do just that,” she shares to The Associated Press.
“I’d like to thank everyone who has joined me on this unbelievable journey. What started out as a dream for Malawi and her children has become a reality, and we couldn’t have done it without your support.”
Madonna has been using her fame and fortune to support children’s causes in the nation via her Raising Malawi Foundation, which she created in 2006 – the same year she adopted David, now 11, from the African country.
She added Mercy James to her clan in 2009, and expanded her family once again in February, when she was granted legal approval to adopt twin daughters Esther and Stella, also from Malawi.
“Malawi has enriched my family more than I could have ever imagined,” the singer continues. “It’s important for me to make sure all my children from the country maintain a strong connection to their birth nation, and equally important to show them that together as humans we have the power to change the world for the better.”
The Vogue hitmaker is also mother to biological kids Lourdes, 20, and 16-year-old Rocco, her son with her ex-husband, director Guy Ritchie.
