History
Green Olive Tours was established in 2007, originally called 'Tours in English', then rebranded as Green Olive Tours in early 2010.
In 2012 a Company was registered and a charter was drafted that transformed the enterprise from a private business into a hybrid cooperative. The new company, Green Olive Collective is managed democratically by the people working in the organization, and has a broad mandate. Green Olive Collective Inc. is registered in the USA, has Palestinian and Israeli working partners, and over 120 Investors and Members from 22 countries around the globe. Membership is open to everyone.
Green Olive Tours Green Olive Tours was the first project of the Collective, and now conducts tours in four countries. Other projects include Madeinpeace.com, a fair trade merchandising enterprise which markets products from the underserved or oppressed populations in the regions where the tours operate. Our Volunteer Program offers many opportunities for our clients to give back to communities in the countries where we operate.
Green Olive Collective accepts Members and Partners regardless of gender, sexual preference, ethnic background, religion, national identity, citizenship, and any other markers of personal identity that are irrelevant to a person’s essential humanity, talents and aspirations.The Collective binds itself to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The organization is a Social Enterprise and a Workers Collective. Our function is to generate economic benefit for the Members, and social, cultural and political activity that cultivate humane and just societies.
As a Social Enterprise, the organization’s role in society is to provide information, services and products that help heal and repair the rifts that cause oppression and dysfunction between people, and between human activity and the planet that hosts us. This includes educational, creative, and pro-active projects that both illuminate the issues, and provide tools for progressive change.
As a Workers Collective, we provide a democratic governing framework, nurture the relationships among the members, and provide a working environment that is supportive and sustaining, enabling the members develop both professionally and personally.
Mission Statement of Green Olive Tours
Green Olive Tours is a social enterprise tour agency providing tours that cover the history, culture, and political geography of the countries in which we coperate. The tours provide benefit to the indigenous population through the hiring and training of local tour guides, overnight stays with families & small guest houses, and encouraging visitors to purchase local crafts directly from producers and Fair Trade outlets. In addition many of our tours include volunteer opportunities with disadvantaged groups in the same areas that the tours visit.
Some tours are more cultural and emphasise people-to-people contact, while others have more political content.
Many of the tours also visit sites of historical, cultural and religious interest, placing them within the context of the ongoing analysis provided by the guide.
Green Olive Tours in Ethiopia aims to provide our guests with:
Green Olive Tours was established in 2007, originally called 'Tours in English', then rebranded as Green Olive Tours in early 2010.
In 2012 a Company was registered and a charter was drafted that transformed the enterprise from a private business into a hybrid cooperative. The new company, Green Olive Collective is managed democratically by the people working in the organization, and has a broad mandate. Green Olive Collective Inc. is registered in the USA, has Palestinian and Israeli working partners, and over 120 Investors and Members from 22 countries around the globe. Membership is open to everyone.
Green Olive Tours Green Olive Tours was the first project of the Collective, and now conducts tours in four countries. Other projects include Madeinpeace.com, a fair trade merchandising enterprise which markets products from the underserved or oppressed populations in the regions where the tours operate. Our Volunteer Program offers many opportunities for our clients to give back to communities in the countries where we operate.
Green Olive Collective accepts Members and Partners regardless of gender, sexual preference, ethnic background, religion, national identity, citizenship, and any other markers of personal identity that are irrelevant to a person’s essential humanity, talents and aspirations.The Collective binds itself to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The organization is a Social Enterprise and a Workers Collective. Our function is to generate economic benefit for the Members, and social, cultural and political activity that cultivate humane and just societies.
As a Social Enterprise, the organization’s role in society is to provide information, services and products that help heal and repair the rifts that cause oppression and dysfunction between people, and between human activity and the planet that hosts us. This includes educational, creative, and pro-active projects that both illuminate the issues, and provide tools for progressive change.
As a Workers Collective, we provide a democratic governing framework, nurture the relationships among the members, and provide a working environment that is supportive and sustaining, enabling the members develop both professionally and personally.
Mission Statement of Green Olive Tours
Green Olive Tours is a social enterprise tour agency providing tours that cover the history, culture, and political geography of the countries in which we coperate. The tours provide benefit to the indigenous population through the hiring and training of local tour guides, overnight stays with families & small guest houses, and encouraging visitors to purchase local crafts directly from producers and Fair Trade outlets. In addition many of our tours include volunteer opportunities with disadvantaged groups in the same areas that the tours visit.
Some tours are more cultural and emphasise people-to-people contact, while others have more political content.
Many of the tours also visit sites of historical, cultural and religious interest, placing them within the context of the ongoing analysis provided by the guide.
Green Olive Tours in Ethiopia aims to provide our guests with:
- A cultural, historical and political understanding of the country
- Visits to cultural, historical and religious sites.
- Visits to mountains, forests and farms
- Interaction with Ethiopians on a personal level
- Opportunities to 'give back' to the community through volunteering
