Most of us learn about the horrors of the Syrian war on the nightly news. Rob Maroni sees the despair firsthand on the faces of thousands of refugees living in Jordan. Working for the global relief organization Mercy Corps, Maroni manages aid programs for half a million refugees, including men, women and children in two Jordanian camps: Azraq and Za’atari, the second-largest refugee camp in the world, with 85,000 people.

Basics like shelter, food and supplies are quickly met, but Maroni also provides something just as important: emotional support, especially to the children. He and his team create peaceful places at the camps where youngsters can learn—and even kick around a soccer ball.

Maroni has been helping the most vulnerable people on the planet for decades, starting as a Peace Corps volunteer in Cameroon. After stints in Rwanda and Eritrea, he joined Mercy Corps in 2004, first working in Zimbabwe, then moving to Jordan in 2010 with his wife and two daughters. The worst humanitarian crises of our time is unfolding before him as millions flee Syria to safety in Jordan. “These are people like you and me who lived in houses and cities,’’ says Maroni. “Now there’s a huge upheaval in their lives for one reason—war.’’

Yet they are courageous and hopeful. At one camp, Syria’s national wrestling champion, also a refugee, teaches kids how to box, lift weights, and love life again. “Our gym is full every day,’’ says Maroni. “You can see where your work is making a difference.’’