Madonna and David return to Malawian orphanage

Pop singer Madonna has taken her adopted son David to visit his former orphanage in central Malawi.

Chants of "welcome home, David!" and "we love you, David!" could be heard from inside the Home Of Hope as the four-year-old and his mother arrived.

Journalists were barred from the reunion, which took place during Madonna's week-long stay in Malawi.

But the head of the orphanage said Madonna did not want to break David's "emotional attachment" to the home.

As Madonna engaged in discussions with the orphanage's directors, David and his older sister Lourdes played with the young residents.

However, the four-year-old's biological father, Yohane Banda, was nowhere to be seen.

Madonna, in Malawi since Monday, is scheduled to leave the southern African country on Friday.

The pop star funds six orphanages through her Raising Malawi charity and is setting up a school for girls on the outskirts of the country's capital, Lilongwe.