News - Interholco ¦ Logs and Lumber

25.05.2020. Behind his blue mask, the eco-guard is smiling: lying in the back of his pick-up under the scorching sun, 40 dwarf crocodiles are about to be set free. Before being released back in the river Sangha, they need rehydrating with a water sprinkle. With their muzzle tied up, they are lucky to be still alive. ‘That could show that the young crocodiles, a partially protected species in Congo, were not just destined for slaughter on the local market of Ouesso but rather, smuggling,’ argues José Blanchard Bokandza.

13.05.2020. IFO has extended the strategic measures developed with local authorities to stem the spread of COVID-19 to service providers. A cordon sanitaire is now in place at the gates of the industrial site. Whether arriving from Douala (Cameroon), Brazzaville or Pointe-Noire (Congo), cities where several people have already been infected, carriers are requested to park in a suitable area, some 500 m away from the entrance to the sawmills. The aim is to limit the spread of the virus as much as possible, protect workers and their communities and focus on prevention, with better management of potential cases.

08.05.2020. In order to ease the burden on the state health system, our Congo-based company IFO has mobilised staff working at the IFO medical centre (CMS). In the village of Ngombé, where 10,000 inhabitants live, all healthcare staff is thus in the front line, in the fight against COVID-19. The state's integrated health centre (CSI) has been converted into an ad hoc care unit, to keep those likely to have contracted the virus separate from all other patients, who will continue to be admitted to IFO's medical centre.

06.05.2020. Right as the infinitely 'small' shakes the whole world, the Republic of Congo has considered harvesting and transformation of sustainable hardwood ‘Made in Africa’ an essential activity of its economy. Work and life at IFO are fully continuing, even though Congolese authorities have extended the state of health emergency. The company, determined to win the fight against COVID-19, is concerned for the health of workers.

01.05.2020. In the North of Congo, the Kwele forest people use heart-shaped masks for their rites. Through these masks, the Kwele worship earth spirits, chase the soul-eating spirits away, celebrate the passage of seasons and heal the sick. The masks have stylized human faces surmounted by large openwork arching horns. These masks - carved from a lightweight wood - are emblems of high-ranking men and hunters, whose rites mobilise the magic forces of the community.

A deadly virus. 210 countries affected.* A simple gesture, to be repeated several times a day.

29.04.2020. In the village of Ngombé, in northern Congo, one of the most landlocked regions of the country, our subsidiary IFO (Industrie Forestière de Ouesso) gives its 900 workers 3 kg of soap per day. It's 5:45 in the morning, when they arrive to clock in. But before anyone gets to work, each and everyone has to wash their hands.

22.04.2020. This year, tv channel ARTE celebrates International Earth Day with a new broadcast of 'Congo, Protecting the Gorilla Forests'. Filmed in the North of Congo Brazzaville, partly in the forest which INTERHOLCO manages sustainably, the documentary won Germany's prestigious nature film prize for 2019, the coveted Deutscher NaturfilmPreis.

27.03.2020. With sustainability and growth among its core values, INTERHOLCO is striving to ensure well-being and safety to its employees, in Europe and Africa alike. COVID-19 demands a real ALLIANCE amongst all members of society. We are launching a campaign in five languages: English, German, French, Spanish and Chinese, available on this link: http://bit.ly/IHC-Join-us-against-COVID-19

20.03.2020. The United Nations proclaimed 21 March International Day of Forests and this year shines a light on Forests and Biodiversity. INTERHOLCO offers Sustainable Hardwood 'Made in Africa' as a solution to not only promote better living conditions (construction with wood), but also to reduce climate change, increase social justice and keep forests protected from permanent change to agriculture.

11.02.2020. Forests worldwide are known to be rich in stories, legends and myths; places hosting unusual turns and transformations. As the most densely wooded part of Africa, the Congo Basin forest is definitely no exception. Many of its plants and trees hold cultural and spiritual values.