Volunteers from an Isle of Man charity have travelled to Romania to deliver essential aid to underprivileged families.

Hands of Hope was established in 2005 to provide aid to communities in an area of Romania roughly the same size as the Isle of Man.

The charity is a small organisation with just four volunteer trustees who work with partner charity Lumina Pentru Copii (Light for Children) in the eastern European country.

The organisation was formed after Ruth and Chris Baker, who are trustees, visited a Romanian orphanage in 2003 and were so moved by what they saw, they decided they wanted to help families living in poverty.

Volunteers have visited the country several times a year since then to deliver aid, spending several months at a time Dorohoi.

The Steam Packet Company has regularly supported the journeys by helping out with the cost of travel to and from the island.

Volunteers left for the latest visit last week, taking with them a trailer of aid which included clothes, shoes and educational materials, plus IT equipment to be used in the charity’s community centre. The group will stay for two months and returns to the Isle of Man in May.

Ruth said: ’On our first visit we realised many of the children were not true orphans but had been abandoned by their parents who lived in such poor circumstances that they felt their children were better off in an orphanage than they were at home with them.

’With this in mind Hands of Hope tries to help families to stay together by building new homes on land the charity owns, enabling them to be more self-sufficient.

’We support poor and marginalised families, children’s education in mainstream schools and a centre for children with additional needs. We also distribute aid and food parcels.’

She added: ’Over the years the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company has generously assisted with the cost of for ferry crossings, which has been a great help as we pay for travel personally, not from charity funds.

’I’d like to thank them for their continued support.’

Isle of Man Steam Packet Company Chief Executive Mark Woodward said: ’Hands of Hope is a small but hard-working charity which we have been pleased to help over the years.

’They are doing important work helping families living in poverty to stay together, and delivering essential aid, and I’m pleased we are once again able to help.’