Leila Lopes

In 2011, Lopes became the first woman from Angola to win the Miss Universe crown. She used her title to champion HIV/AIDS prevention and works with organizations such as Youth AIDS/PSI, Latino Commission on AIDS, and Gay Men’s Health Crisis, among others. She was named the Drylands Ambassador by the United Nation Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in an effort to combat land degradation – an issue that affects not only her country, but also the entire continent of Africa.