Rami Adham at his home in Helsinki, Finland, before embarking on his most recent trip to Syria earlier this month. He la

Since civil war erupted in his homeland, Adham has traveled to Syria more than two dozen times. He's slipped across borders and walked for miles with the bags on his back, at times dodging snipers and bombs.

"I was very saddened by what was going on," Adham told NBC News. "As a Syrian, I wanted of course to do my part in helping people ... so I decided to go there myself."

The 44-year-old was born in Aleppo but grew up in Helsinki, Finland — where he now lives with his wife and six children. He first made the decision to help his homeland five years ago.

So on his first trip — alongside food and $5,500 in cash from his savings — Adham took a plastic grocery store bag full of Barbies and a suitcase of stuffed toys, all donated by his six children.

He hauled his precious cargo in cars, on planes and at times on his own back, covering nearly 3,000 miles from Helsinki to a refugee camp in Syria.

The children were unimpressed by the food and money.

But when they saw the toys, "their eyes were big, everybody was smiling," Adham said.