Orphanage Accuses Madonna of Putting Kids Lives in Danger  11/13/06

The British charity which raises funds for the orphanage where Madonna met her baby David has blasted the superstar, claiming her comments during a recent TV interview could lead to a drop off in donations.

Rosemary Lowdon, the charity's secretary, is petrified people will stop donating after hearing Madonna's comments, putting the lives of orphans at the Home for Help in Malawi in danger.

Speaking on BBC current affairs show Newsnight last week (02NOV06), Madonna claimed she decided to adopt her the one-year-old because he didn't receive much attention at the orphanage, saying, "If somebody had said to me, 'Oh, his dad comes every week', or, you know, 'His granny visits on a regular basis and he's well looked after,' I would not even have given it another thought."

Lowdon is so upset by these comments she's written to Newsnight, insisting, "We must stress that no money has come to the Home as a result of this adoption, and the financial resources at the Home are very limited.

"We are desperately worried that people will cease donating as a result of Madonna's comments, and that this will make a difference between life and death for some of the most vulnerable children at the Home."

She also claims the Reverend Thomson Chipeta, the 77-year-old Presbyterian minister who runs the orphanage, was shocked by Madonna's comments during the interview, saying, "He was very shaken, he was very upset. He said to me, 'Why is she saying this?'"

A BBC representative said, "We have yet to receive any correspondence from the Malawi Orphan Fund about the nature or content of the interview, but would consider it carefully were we to do so."