Madonna: 'Orphan stories touched me'

Madonna has claimed that she feels a connection with the orphans she met on her first visit to Malawi.

The pop superstar has adopted two children from the south-eastern African country, a son David Banda in 2006 and daughter Mercy James last year.

Writing on the blog of her Raising Malawi charity, Madonna said: "On my first visit to Malawi, I was devastated to meet child after child who had been orphaned by AIDS.

"Having lost my mother at such a young age, I felt a close connection to these children. Their stories had touched my own."

She added: "In a country of 14 million, a staggering one million children have been left alone with the responsibility of raising each other.

"I returned home knowing the future of Malawi was resting on the shoulders of these orphaned children, and I had to act."

The singer recently visited the country to lay the first brick of the Raising Malawi Academy for Girls, which aims to "educate, protect, and empower 450 young girls who are Malawi's hope for the future".