LILONGWE, Malawi — Madonna laid the first brick on Tuesday for her new $15 million Raising Malawi Academy for Girls, a project she says "will rebuild this community and raise this nation."
Scheduled to open in 2011, the academy "will educate, protect, and empower 450 young girls who are Malawi's hope for the future."
"Having seen the determination in the eyes of these children, I know they have the strength to save Malawi—they just need to be given the tools," said Madonna in a blog post on the Raising Malwai Web site.
The "Material Girl," who rose to fame in the '80s, said she was drawn to help the impoverished southern African country after enduring her own difficult childhood.