Every child deserves the chance of a better well-being, education and to be loved.

Mamta Shah, a U.S.-based nurse, has been volunteering with Operation Smile for 14 years and has participated on 15 medical missions with Operation Smile. We recently caught up with her and learned about what inspires her to continue to do the life-changing work she does for children around with world. Read on for a question and answer-style interview with Mamta Shah.

Question: What inspired you to volunteer with Operation Smile?

I’ve always known one of my purposes in life was to provide healthcare for a charitable cause. I know I’m right where I’m supposed to be when I am on a medical mission. I am honored to be a part of a team that displays so much kindness and love to families everywhere. Operation Smile is committed not only to providing the highest quality surgical care, but in also providing education, training and research. Operation Smile instills a vision of treating all children as if they were our own. It’s an honor to be a part of a team that can make such positive changes together.

Q: Why do you do what you do?

I grew up living overseas in several countries. During that time, I realized that many of us live very fortunate lives with roofs over our heads, families, educational opportunities and access to healthcare. The world is not like that for everyone. I have a skill that can be used to make the world a better place.

Q: Is there a particular moment or patient from a medical mission that will stay with you forever?

The moment that a mother sees her child for the first time after their surgery is always heartwarming. Those moments are forever embedded in my mind.

Q: Why is early surgical care a critical need?

I hear so many stories of children who are unloved or shunned by family members, bullied by peers or have dropped out of school. They have basically been treated as an outcast. Early education and treatment can afford these children opportunities that they may otherwise not have. Babies have a battle from the start to make nutritional gains that are so important for conquering developmental milestones.

Q: From your perspective, describe the three biggest challenges, or barriers to care, for patients where you have worked.

Some of the biggest challenges pre- and post-surgical are when families do not have access to clean water, appropriate education and access to transportation to get pre-operative and post-operative treatment. The families also need information regarding the “stigma” that these kids bear. Some cultures believe that the child did something in a past life or that they are cursed. This is where the local Operation Smile team is so helpful in helping families get to the resources that they need to care for their children.

Q: If Operation Smile didn’t exist in places you have worked, what would those patients do?

I think if Operation Smile did not go into those countries, there would be so many bright children who would be ostracized and have missed out on the opportunity of education.

Q: How has volunteering with Operation Smile impacted you professionally and personally?

It has made me more generous, understanding and patient. You never know what battle someone is facing. I look at every mission with an opportunity to give and to get. I always come back a changed person. I learn so much from the people I meet.