How Iowans can save children's lives around the world

As the grandson of a slave and the son of a coal miner, I never imagined I would have the opportunity to sing for six U.S. presidents and world leaders like Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

My uniquely American story took me from Centerville, Ia., to the world’s greatest opera houses. But it wasn’t until recently, close to 60 years into my operatic career, that I came to understand the greater purpose for the talents God gave me. 

In 2013, I dedicated my life to protecting every child in Africa from malaria. A deadly yet entirely preventable disease, malaria kills more than 400,000 people each year. Most are children under the age of five, and most live in sub-Saharan Africa. 

Using my voice to inspire others and protect children in Africa – that is my American Dream. 

For the first 22 years of my life, my dream was to be a physician. At the University of Iowa, a voice teacher named Charles Kellis overheard me singing and offered to give me lessons. Mr. Kellis helped me get a full ride to the Julliard School of Music. Without him, I wouldn’t have become an opera singer. 

I have since performed at 84 of the world’s greatest opera houses, with 115 symphony orchestras, and sang at the 25th and 50th anniversaries of the United Nations. I was fortunate to be part of the first generation of black opera singers to achieve widespread success in the U.S., which afforded me the opportunity to establish a music school in South Africa and scholarship programs in Iowa and Oklahoma. 

It wasn’t until 2010 that I discovered the full reason God gave me this platform. When I sang at the World Cup in South Africa, I heard a startling statistic: that (in 2010) every 30 seconds a child died from malaria, and that 90 percent of all malaria deaths in the world are in Africa. This realization – that children were dying needlessly from mosquito bites – inspired me to embark on what would become a lifetime mission. 

I set out to raise funds to purchase life-saving, insecticide-treated nets that protect families from malaria. Through the United Nations Foundation’s Nothing But Nets campaign, each $10 donation goes directly to the purchase, distribution and education on the proper use of a bed net. Today, approximately 53 percent of the population in sub-Saharan Africa is protected by bed nets, compared to just 2 percent in 2000. But still, today a child dies from malaria every two minutes; so we still have work to do.  

My goal is to protect every vulnerable child from malaria. But I can’t achieve this goal alone. Through Nothing But Nets, I am now part of a  global grassroots movement fighting to end malaria worldwide.  

In 2013, in partnership with the Des Moines Youth Symphony Orchestra under Maestro Joseph Giunta, we hosted a benefit concert for Nothing But Nets at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, performing with 1,100 students from 52 high schools across the state. And this concert was just the beginning. Through personal donations, portions of concert ticket and CD sales, and help from friends and fans alike, I have been able to raise more than $500,000 for Nothing But Nets and was honored to receive the campaign’s Lifetime Impact Award just last year.

My goal is to reach $1 million raised, which means 100,000 families will be able to sleep more soundly at night, free of the fear of deadly mosquitoes. 

But while increased funding is critical, we can’t end malaria by writing checks alone. As Americans, we are free to raise our voices about issues we care about. We are free to call for change and support from our elected officials to better society and the world. 

Just a few months ago, I joined Nothing But Nets for its annual Leadership Summit in Washington D.C., where I met people from across the U.S. who are taking action to make a difference in the lives of people they’ve never met. I met with my senators and representative to share the amazing generosity of Iowans who have supported my project as well as the importance of strong U.S. leadership and funding for programs like the President’s Malaria Initiative, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, and United Nations agencies that are working tirelessly to protect children, families and vulnerable people from malaria. 

To me, patriotism isn’t just showing love for your country. It’s also about showing love and compassion for fellow humans. It’s not only about caring for a cause, but taking action to find solutions. 

I encourage my fellow Iowans and people of every background, every socioeconomic status, and every faith to reflect on what being an American means to them.

Does it mean standing up for what is right, making a difference in the lives of others, and using your voice to make a difference? Whether it’s helping your neighbor or saving the life of children in sub-Saharan Africa, you can be the light for someone else. 

If you’d like to join me on this mission, visit simonestesfoundation.org and nothingbutnets.net. 

Simon Estes is a native of Centerville, an internationally known opera singer and founder of the Simon Estes Foundation.