Madonna: Do-Gooder or Home-Wrecker?

Queen of Pop sparks controversy in Malawi after government displaces villagers to build her all-girls school

By Josh Grossberg Feb 12, 2010 6:36 PMTags
Madonna, Mercy Ritchie, David RitchieFame Pictures

Madonna's heart might be in the right place. Now about those bulldozers...

In her attempt to pull an Oprah Winfrey, the Material Mom has dreams of establishing an all-girls school in Africa, specifically in Malawi, where she adopted son David Banda, now 5, and daughter Mercy James, 4.

Unfortunately, Madonna's proposal to build the facility in the village of Blantyre, just outside the capital of Lilongwe, has sparked an uproar with word that the government intends to displace more than 200 locals to make way for the project.

According to foreign reports, villagers are resisting the move, refusing to budge despite Madonna's offering an estimated $115,000 to compensate them for the loss of their land and assist in resettlement efforts.

"The district commissioner for Lilongwe told the villagers to move off the land and [make] way for the construction of the academy because it was government land reserved for development projects," a Malawi government official told Agence France-Presse.

The controversy is the latest to blow up for the "Justify My Love" singer, who previously faced backlash over attempts to adopt her children, despite going to great lengths to support various local charities.

She even cofounded Raising Malawi, a nonprofit aiding children in need of shelter, medical care and  education.

Assuming all goes well, her planned $15 million institution will enroll approximately 500 poverty-stricken girls beginning in 2012.

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Open her heart indeed. Check out what other celebs are giving back in E! Online's Do-Gooder gallery.