After several stumbling blocks during the process, Madonna [ tickets ] has triumphed in her quest to adopt a four-year-old Malawian girl. Malawi's Supreme Court of Appeal on Friday (6/12) granted the pop star the right to adopt Chifundo "Mercy" James, a young girl she first met in 2006 while in the country to adopt her son, David Banda.

Despite controversy and concerns about the adoption, most of the public response to the adoption reportedly has been positive. James' uncle, Peter Baneti, said members of the child's family are very happy about the recent ruling, according to BBC.com.

One local resident told the BBC that Madonna was doing a good thing in taking the child from a life of destitution. "She could have lived in the orphanage until she was old enough to start prostitution," said Michael Jonas, a local curio seller. Another local resident said Malawi has millions of orphans and one orphan less must be viewed as good news. "I wish other rich people would come here to adopt orphans like Madonna has done," he told the BBC.

There are close to 2 million orphans in Malawi, according to the Ministry of Women and Child Welfare Development.

Immediately after the ruling, Madonna's Malawian lawyer called the singer in New York to share the news. In a statement, Madonna said she was extremely grateful for the Supreme Court's ruling. "I am ecstatic. ... My family and I look forward to sharing our lives with her," she said.

Mercy is Madonna's fourth child; in addition to the previously mentioned David, the superstar has two biological children: Lourdes, 12, and 8-year-old Rocco.