Madonna was facing growing opposition today to her plan to adopt another African child.

Save the Children, the international children's charity, urged the singer to think again, while family of the toddler she wants to adopt are reported to be fighting her plans.

The pop star, who is 50, has filed papers in Malawi setting out her intention to adopt an orphan called Mercy James, who she hopes to bring to the US if a Malawi court approves the plan. Madonna will reportedly travel to Malawi tomorrow to spend time with the girl and to start proceedings to make the girl legally her daughter.

Three years ago Madonna and her then-husband Guy Ritchie adopted David Banda, then aged 13 months, from Malawi bringing the child to London.

Madonna was harshly criticised over the adoption of her son by children’s advocacy groups who accused her using wealth and influence to circumvent Malawian law requiring an 18- to 24-month assessment period before adoption.

Reports that Madonna wants to adopt a girl from Malawi have been circulating for some time. But the first official hint came from the star herself last week.

Lucy Chekechiwa, 61, Mercy’s grandmother, described Madonna's interest in her granddaughter as "stealing".

“Why doesn’t this singer pick other children? It is stealing. I want to go to court, I won’t let her go,” she said.

Mercy has been living in an orphanage and Mrs Chekechiwa claimed it had been agreed the child would go to her when she reaches the age of six.

Mercy’s 18-year-old mother died five days after her birth, according to The Sun.

Save the Children said orphans should be cared for by extended family in their home country and suggested international adoption can make matters worse.

“The best place for a child is in his or her family in their home community. Most children in orphanages have one parent still living, or have an extended family that can care for them in the absence of their parents,” said Dominic Nutt, a spokesman for the charity.

According to Save the Children, international adoption should only be considered if the child is a genuine orphan, and if all other alternatives in their own country have been genuinely exhausted.

“International adoption can actually exacerbate the problem it hopes to solve,” Nutt said. “The very existence of orphanages encourages poor parents to abandon children in the hope that they will have a better life.”

Nutt also said international adoption can mean big business in some countries, with “unscrupulous” adoption agencies profiting from the sale of children.

“We urge any celebrity to set an example, to follow internationally agreed procedures designed to protect the child, and to ensure that the child in question has no other options in their home community,” he said.

The southern African nation of Malawi is one of the world’s poorest countries.

Ravaged by Aids, life expectancy is 44 years. It has an infant mortality rate of close to 90 per 1,000 live births, according to 2009 estimates.

Madonna has established ties with the country over the past few years, setting up the Raising Malawi charity to raise the profile of the plight of its people.

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