Madonna and husband Guy Ritchie are planning to adopt a 1-year-old boy from Malawi, her rep says.
The couple "have been granted custody of their son David," the singer's spokeswoman, Liz Rosenberg, confirmed. "Final legal arrangements are being made to bring him home to his new family."
Last week, the singer arrived in the southern African country, where she has been involved in humanitarian work. "Madonna is in Malawi on a private visit," Rosenberg told PEOPLE at the time. "She is building an orphanage and child care center and is involved in other initiatives geared toward helping children orphaned by AIDS through the Raising Malawi organization."
Madonna told Time magazine in August that she feels responsible for helping kids worldwide. "For the last few years – now that I have children and now that I have what I consider to be a better perspective on life – I have felt responsible for the children of the world," she said.
David will be Madonna's third child. She and Ritchie, who married in 2000, have a 6-year-old son, Rocco. Madonna also has a daughter, Lourdes, who turns 10 on Oct. 14, from a prior relationship.
Children have been central to Madonna's work in recent years. She has authored several children's books, and she's often said that motherhood has changed her life. "Our whole life is based around the children," she told PEOPLE in 2003.
Update
Madonna Planning to Adopt African Boy
Ritchie and Madonna
Evan Agostini/Getty
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