BAB AL-SALAMEH BORDER CROSSING, Syria -- While backpacking in Europe and Asia, Wijbe Abma was moved by stories of human tragedy in Syria, torn by a civil war that has left people queuing for hours in the cold for basic goods like bread and fuel.
He is only one person, yet Abma decided he needed to do what he could to help the millions of Syrians displaced by nearly two years of fighting between government forces and rebels trying to topple President Bashar Assad's regime. More than 60,000 people have been killed.
The 21-year-old Dutch student has raised more than $17,000 to buy warm blankets for the refugees, delivering the aid through local activists and rebel groups. Earlier this month, he traveled to help distribute them to Syrian families living in temporary camps where the temperature drops below freezing at night.
