Finally... a smile! Madonna's stony face cracks as she's moved by a social music project in a Brazilian shanty town

Madonna gets an exceptional amount of grief even when she does things that are very, very good.
Nobody in their right mind could say that she wasn't right to adopt her children David and Mercy but at the time of David's adoption she was subjected to harsh criticism and even ridicule.
But the pop powerhouse is a tireless patron of good causes and you can just see how a genuine cause fires her up in these shots of the 54-year-old visiting a project at a Brazilian shanty town.

Madonna and her boys: The queen of pop, her boyfriend Brahim and son Rocco visited a shanty town in Brazil to take a look at how social projects are working

Madonna has taken her MDMA tour to South America and is making the most of being in the beautiful country.
Of course, like Lady Gaga before her it's hard to shy away from the obvious deprivation so Madonna made time to visit the inspiring Project Afro-Reggae.
The Project started out as a newspaper targeting young people interested in reggae, soul, and hip-hop, among other musical genres.

Moving: The group were touched by what they saw as they got to know project Afro-Reggae

Lots to see: Madonna is making the most of her trip to Brazil

The group soon thereafter opened its first Núcleo Comunitário de Cultura (Culture Community Centre) in the Vigário Geral favela in 1993.

The centre was soon offering its first workshops – dance, percussion, garbage recycling, soccer and capoeira – the foundations for new social projects to help teenagers in the area stay away from the prevalent and violent drugs trade in the area.
Madonna seemed very taken with their work, after all, finding a solution to problems via song and dance is right up her street.

Rare smile: Madonna rarely cracks a grin in public but when she's really inspired and motivated... it comes out

Mobbed: Madonna and Brahim rushed through the crowds but the superstar was on cheery and interactive form

It's been revealed that Madonna's brother doesn't regret writing a tell-all book about her.
Christopher Ciccone spent 25 years working with his famous sister before falling out with her after writing the revealing tome 'My Life With My Sister Madonna' in 2008 but the pair have now reconciled.
He told HollywoodLife.com: 'It was something I needed to do so I didn't go crazy. I needed to crawl out from that shadow.
'It's been a bumpy road back. It's a brother/sister thing now, which is great and where it needed to go.'

Getting inspiration? Madonna looked thoughtful as she enjoyed the show with her son Rocco

Affectionate: Brahim put his arm around his girlfriend as they walked around the centre with Rocco

The 51-year-old designer previously admitted it took time for Madonna  to get over her upset about the book but ultimately he believes the experience has been good for him and her.
He explained: 'It's taken a bit to get there, as I understand, but she's my sister and from this point on it's us as brother and sister.
'It's great to reconnect and it wasn't just with her, after the book I really got the chance to reconnect with my family as well.'