Madonna is sharing a rare update on her youngest daughters, Estere and Stella, whom she adopted from Malawi in 2017. Now 12 years old, the twins have traveled back to their home country many times with their famous mother, who first met them while working with her charity, Raising Malawi.
Speaking exclusively to PEOPLE, Madonna said, “The girls have a lot of empathy for vulnerable children in need of life-saving medical care, and they are very grateful to be living in a country where medical care is readily available.”
Madonna Shares What It’s Like for Twin Daughters Estere & Stella to Return to Malawi 8 Years After Adoption (Exclusive) https://t.co/C7XEsRWIQ7
— People (@people) March 24, 2025
Madonna, 66, is also mother to David Banda and Mercy James, both 19, as well as Lourdes Leon, 28, and Rocco Ritchie, 24. She founded Raising Malawi in 2006 to help improve the lives of children in the African nation and opened the Mercy James Centre, Malawi’s first pediatric hospital, in 2017.
Giving back has become a family effort, with Madonna saying, “We are so much closer because we have a common goal—making Malawi a better country for kids to grow up in.”
The singer recently launched a new initiative allowing supporters to contribute monthly to the charity’s medical efforts. Meanwhile, Estere and Stella continue to embrace their roots, speaking Chichewa during visits and even joining their mom onstage at various performances over the years.
