Iara Meiri de Melo Moura Silva, 40, a mother of two, began working in the recycling market over 20 years ago with her mother, who came to Rio de Janeiro from the North East aged 17 years old. Iara is one of the female leaders in waste picker cooperatives in the State of Rio de Janeiro, in the Beija Flor Cooperative. Behind her love for her profession, Iara talks about the welcoming and learning space that exists in the cooperatives.

In collaboration with Ghana Forestry Commission’s Timber Industry Development Division (TIDD), Forest Research Institute of Ghana (FORIG), Ghana Timber Millers Organization (GTMO) and the Ghana Timber Association (GTA), BVRio developed a set of communication materials that include technical information about a selection of timber species that are available to the international markets.