Hitchin's own humanitarian aid charity, Humanitas, has just carried out its 14th trip across the Romanian border into Ukraine, delivering urgently needed food and medical supplies, as Putin's war continues.

The charity is now calling for help to keep the displaced children learning.

The Comet: Sarah Wade, far right, and the charity's medical director Dr Ramiz Momeni, far left, delivering food to one of the displacement centres in western UkraineSarah Wade, far right, and the charity's medical director Dr Ramiz Momeni, far left, delivering food to one of the displacement centres in western Ukraine (Image: Humanitas)

The charity’s CEO and co-founder, Sarah Wade, said: "It is very difficult to put into words the scenes as you walk into the displacement centres.

"These are not modern centres in towns with parks and shops nearby, they are old, run-down buildings on barren land on the outskirts of towns.

"There are rows of beds in each claustrophobic room and women and children sit for hours on end on their beds.

"There's nowhere for children to play, no television, no stimulation and fresh food is in very short supply.

"It is incomprehensible to me how these people are coping mentally with the loss of their homes, family members, jobs and way of life when they are living in such depressing conditions with no knowledge of when things will change for the better."

The Comet: Humanitas Charity delivering food to a displacement centre in UkraineHumanitas Charity delivering food to a displacement centre in Ukraine (Image: Humanitas)

The charity says that there are 40,000 children living in centres in and around Ivano Frankivsk and 24,000 have arrived on their own.

The Comet: Ukrainian families receiving treats and foodUkrainian families receiving treats and food (Image: Humanitas)

Humanitas' UK Director, Joanne Wearne, said: ‘The children literally turn up with a carrier bag containing a few clothes and nothing else, and all learning is now done online through the Ukrainian government's highly praised learning system.

"But these children don't have laptops or tablets so they can't access it. As with most things in Ukraine, tablets are many times more expensive than they were before the war.

"So, we plan to buy them in Romania for £100 and take as many as we can on our next trip into Ukraine.

"That's £100 to educate a child who, quite literally, has nothing. A tablet that they can use to create art, listen to music, learn about our natural world, play maths games and open up experiences and possibilities away from where they are sitting."

The charity is calling upon local people, schools, businesses, and community groups to raise funds so that they can buy as many tablets as possible.

The team will personally take the tablets to the displacement centres, and they plan to do so as soon as possible. Contact Jo at joanne@humanitascharity.org if you can help.