Former Miss Belgium Kenza Johanna Ameloot, whose mother is Rwandan, will join a high-profile group of personalities naming baby mountain gorillas at Rwanda’s Kwita Izina ceremony in Kinigi.
Ameloot, who was crowned Miss Belgium in 2024, is among those selected to participate in the annual conservation event, which will take place on Friday, September 4, 2026.
The 25-year-old model was born and raised in Brussels to a Rwandan mother and Belgian father. Despite growing up in Belgium, she has maintained a strong connection with Rwanda and has publicly described the country as close to her heart.
Her participation in Kwita Izina adds an international dimension to her connection with Rwanda, while also highlighting her involvement in humanitarian and social causes.
Ameloot studied international business before pursuing modelling and winning the Miss Belgium crown on February 24, 2024.
She has also used her public platform to advocate for children’s welfare. In 2024, she became an ambassador for Light for the World, an organisation working to prevent avoidable blindness and support people affected by visual impairment.
During a visit to Rwanda in September 2024, she visited Kabgayi Eye Hospital, where she observed efforts to provide eye treatment to children.
She particularly highlighted the importance of early treatment for children with cataracts, warning that untreated vision problems can affect their education and long-term prospects.
Her appearance at Kwita Izina now brings her back to Rwanda for an event centred on one of the country’s most internationally recognised conservation achievements.
The annual ceremony celebrates the birth of mountain gorillas and Rwanda’s conservation efforts, while bringing together prominent figures from the worlds of politics, business, entertainment, sport and environmental conservation.
For Ameloot, being selected to name a gorilla is also a symbolic return to her maternal homeland, where she has continued to strengthen her ties despite being raised in Belgium.
Her participation reflects the growing involvement of prominent members of the Rwandan diaspora and international personalities in promoting Rwanda’s conservation, tourism and cultural identity.
Kwita Izina has become a major platform for raising awareness about the protection of mountain gorillas and their habitat, while highlighting the importance of conservation to communities living around Volcanoes National Park.
