"On the front lines, at the crossing points, there are times when we have to stay with the refugees for 48 hours, which requires logistical tools and supplies, heating supplies and blankets. And all this is an added burden on us."

From the border, the refugees are loaded onto buses that will take them to their new home: the Zaatari Camp outside Amman, which already houses around 80,000 of their fellow Syrians.

Most of the families simply seemed happy for a respite. Having left war-ravaged homes and tattered belongings behind, they were ready for a new start, no matter how temporary. Even a tent would be better than the alternative.

"There's nothing we weren't hit by," said one woman, whose voice welled with emotion when describing the trauma of just trying to survive back in Syria. "Rockets, barrel bombs, warplanes -- the shells were falling on us like rain."