The buildings are cracked and withered. They sit on the face of a hill surrounded by mango trees from which all the fruit was eaten long ago. Last year’s drought hit the area hard, leaving the mission reliant on food aid. The grass on the village square has died and the orphans play in its barren soil.

The place is home to more than 250 children. Its five dormitories barely sleep all its tiny souls and, despite the best efforts of the pastor who runs it, many of the orphans are malnourished. On Wednesday two young twins died of malaria. For the children of the Home for Hope hunger and sickness are a fact of life, as they are across much of Malawi.

Just over a week ago came a welcome distraction. A convoy of three white Nissan 4x4s swept through the gate bearing an entourage of 11 security guards, publicists and even a camera crew. From the hubbub emerged Madonna, wearing a tight black T-shirt with jeans, and her husband Guy Ritchie, clad in a crisp white shirt and cream trousers. It was as if she “was coming from God”, one of the village elders would say later.

Esau Jery, 13, was star-struck. “It was amazing. I know the Material Girl song,” she said. “My mother used to sing it to me. I couldn’t believe she was there.”

The couple were on the third day of their tour, leaving behind rumours that their marriage was under strain. Officially they were there to help to fund a new £2m orphanage as part of Madonna’s Raising Malawi charity programme. But they had another, more personal project — adopting an African baby of their own.

Before she flew out, Madonna is reported to have requested a shortlist of 12 “contenders” for adoption. The one that caught her eye was David, a 13-month-old boy at the Home for Hope.

“She was carrying the baby,” one of the teachers said. “She was smiling and saying ‘ah, beautiful’.”

David’s mother had died days after giving birth to him without a nurse or medical attention. His father Yohame Banda, 32, could not afford to feed his son, so trekked 38 miles to the orphanage. Last week he gave him up for adoption in the hope that his baby would have a better life than his own.

“They told me a mzungu (white foreigner) had seen a picture of David and liked him very much,” he said. “My family and I agreed this was a very good opportunity for David to get an education and grow up healthy.”

Talking of when he met the singer, he added: “She was smiling a lot. She told me, ‘Your son is very beautiful and he makes me very happy. I promise to take very good care of him.’

“I looked directly into her eyes and said, ‘Although I’m giving you my son I want you to look after him well as he is the only one I process. I want you to keep this boy, raise him, educate him — but you have to know he is my son and he is a Malawian’.”

Malawi has strict laws on foreigners adopting children which normally require that prospective parents foster “in-country” for 18 months before moving abroad. Citing the couple’s “special circumstances”, however, Madonna filed papers with the high court in Lilongwe on Wednesday and within a day was granted an interim adoption, allowing the 18-month trial period to be completed in Britain. David is now expected to join Madonna in London in the next few weeks.

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