TRUCKLOADS of supplies for babies and children were unloaded by Hillingdon Police when they arrived at an orphanage in the Polish village of Rzeszow.

The donated boxes of medical supplies, nappies, toys and clothes were part of the Convoy 2000 project that saw a team of police officers from Ruislip spend a week in Poland helping the charity.

The equipment had been donated in England and sent out to Poland on a lorry in time for the team to deliver it to the orphanage.

Maria Ficocli-Kuzniav, 52, who runs the orphanage in Rzeszow, told the Times they were very grateful for the help.

She said: "Medical supplies are always needed, sometimes they can be quite hard to get hold of, and some of them can be expensive. And of course we can not afford to buy disposable nappies at all."

She added: "There are 66 children here at the orphanage, from newborn to 18 years of age. Most of the children that come here are from alcoholic parents, or very poor and unemployed parents who just can't cope. We also have children from families with mental difficulties who do not know how to look after a child."

The orphanage was first set up in 1946, and was run by a group of nuns. Thirty years ago it was moved to a slightly newer building. Maria has worked there for more than 16 years, and before that she worked at a hospital as a midwife.

She told the Times that the orphanage is always full.

She said: "It is a poor area around here, and there are many parents that can't cope. The saddest thing we see is children who have come from a mother who drank while the child was in the womb. If this is picked up early, sometimes there is something that can be done for the children, but without the proper medical diagnosis and care it is almost impossible to help them.

"We give them a home here and do what we can for them. We have eight children all from the same family who were born dependent on alcohol."

More than 50 staff care for more than 60 children at the orphanage, including carers, social workers and psychiatrists.

Maria says: "For tiny babies this is the only life they have known, so there is nothing for them to get upset about. But with the older children it is hard and they have a lot of problems.

"They have to suddenly get used to this new life living here in a big group. Some kids that come later in life have had no-one that cares about them for a really long time, and they see no reason to try at school, work hard or even interact with any other kids here. They feel hopeless and we have to try and help them.

"It can be a struggle sometimes, and that is why we are so grateful for the donations. The children will love the toys and clothes that have come, every little thing really helps."

She added: "It is not always bad news here. A lot of the children get re-homed. Sometimes they go back to their own families when they have sorted themselves out, sometimes they get fostered, and sometimes they get adopted. And in the meantime we make their time here as happy as possible."