[photo source: CNN]

Mia Farrow was the original. In the 70s, she adopted children from Korea and Vietnam. Following her footsteps Angelina Jolie (Cambodia and Ethiopia), Ewan McGregor (Mongolia) and Meg Ryan (China). Recently, Madonna has followed suit and adopted a child from Malawi.

Celebrities adopting children from poverty stricken countries. Is that a growing trend I see? Are they doing it to "save" these children from poverty, to give them better lives? Or, are they doing it for publicity?

Yahoo has asked its readers, "Why do celebs adopt third world children?" Above celebrities would probably be surprised to find out that a bigger percentage of the respondents have doubts that their move to adopt is completely altruistic.

What about YOU? What do you think? Is it a gimmick or do these celebrities really want to help?

Whatevet the case may be, let's all hope for all those adopted children's sake that they get a better life than the life they left behind.

Ironically, according to CNN, with celebrities heading off to far-flung countries to adopt, 120,000 US kids are waiting to be adopted. Hmmmm...