Summary "She's here, she's seeing, she's made the effort to come here, and I'm thrilled by that," Penn said.
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) - Madonna is in Haiti to visit humanitarian projects that ex-husband Sean Penn has been overseeing since the Caribbean nation s devastating earthquake in 2010, the actor said Monday.
Penn said in a brief phone call to The Associated Press that he had invited Madonna, with whom he has "maintained a great friendship over the years," to visit several times and that she had come with her son Rocco. He said they arrived a "couple of days" ago, and he wasn t sure when she would leave.
"She s here, she s seeing, she s made the effort to come here, and I m thrilled by that," Penn said, adding that he hoped Haiti might inspire her to seek out a cause in the country. "She has a unique platform, and wherever she chooses to bring that to, it s very well."
Madonna s been busy posting photos on Instagram. One shows her posing with others at a new hospital built by public health pioneer Dr. Paul Farmer in the central part of the country. The caption: "Revolution of Love in Haiti." Another picture shows a view of the mountains at dusk. The caption: "Sunset in Haiti. This is Heaven!"
Penn has served as an ambassador-at-large for Haiti since early 2012. He received the recognition for his work as head of a humanitarian group he co-founded in the aftermath of the earthquake, the J/P Haitian Relief Organization. The group has focused on housing and relocating thousands of people from a golf course that was among hundreds of impromptu settlements that sprang up after the quake.
His group recently sponsored five Haitian runners to participate in the New York marathon.
