A Hitchin-based charity is seeking donations of laptops, tablets and mobile phones that can be sent to orphaned and abandoned young people in Romania.

Humanitas, which is based in Bucklersbury, will send donated electronics to children and teenagers living in their safe homes. Many of the children living in the charity’s homes are in mainstream education, but they only have one computer to share between them.

Keen to ensure that the children in their care are given the same opportunities as their peers and do not fall behind with their studies, Humanitas' chief executive and founder, Sarah Wade, said that they are "determined to give our children the same life chances as those who were born into loving families."

She added: "The children in our care in Romania suffered unimaginable neglect in their early lives. Most of them lived in state-run institutions where they were confined to their beds, they were not spoken to or shown any affection by staff and many were left lying in their own faeces for days.

"Our children are growing up fast and many of them are still doing online learning because of COVID-19 restrictions, or have homework to complete at the end of each day.

"We would love to be able to provide each of them with a laptop or tablet that they can use to study in their bedrooms, rather than waiting to use the communal computer in a busy lounge."

If you have a laptop, tablet or mobile phone that can be donated to Humanitas, donors are asked to drop contributions off to Cantina Carnitas at 31 Bucklersbury before June 30.

For more information contact Joanne Wearne at joanne@humanitascharity.org.