Madonna has told a Malawian newspaper that she wants to ensure the young girl she failed to adopt grows up in "a loving family environment".

A judge rejected the adoption of the girl, four, over residency rules but Madonna's lawyer has lodged an appeal. The singer wants the chance to provide Chifundo James - whose name translates as Mercy with a home, education and healthcare, the Nation on Sunday says.

The paper said Madonna had responded to questions it submitted in an e-mail.

Chifundo is in the same orphanage that previously housed David Banda, Madonna's first adopted child.

It's my hope that she, like David, will one day return to Malawi and help the people of their country

Madonna on Chifundo

If the 50-year-old singer's application had been successful, Chifundo would have been a sister to David and her biological children Lourdes and Rocco.

"I want to provide Mercy with a home, a loving family environment and the best education and healthcare possible," the newspaper quotes Madonna as saying.

"And it's my hope that she, like David, will one day return to Malawi and help the people of their country."

Madonna's application was rejected because of a requirement that prospective parents be resident in the southern African state for 18 to 24 months.

No date has been set for a court hearing to appeal against the judge's ruling.

"Though I have been advised that I cannot publicly discuss the pending appeal regarding my desire to adopt Mercy, I do want to say how much I appreciate the level of support that I have received from the people of Malawi and my friends around the world," Madonna reportedly said.

Watch coverage from The Associated Press on Madonna's adoption interests below: