The Jordanian city of Ramtha, wedged against the border with Syria, is sometimes referred to in Arabic as Umm al-Aitam, meaning the Mother of Orphans.
The city is known as a den for smugglers, who before the Syrian war started in 2011 could move almost anything across the border, but is also famed for its generosity to those in need.
The people of Ramtha mobilised to send aid to Iraq during both Gulf wars. Today, their charity is directed towards the 320,000 Syrians who have been displaced in recent weeks by an Assad regime offensive just a few miles over the border.
The fighting is so close that the Jordanians can see the airstrikes raining down on their Syrian neighbours and their sleep…
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