About OliveRoots
I grew up between olive trees.
My name is Yahya. I was born and raised in Al-Majd, a small village near Hebron in the West Bank. My family, like most families there, has a piece of land. Some seasons we plant trees, other seasons we plant crops. In 2010, at the age of ten, my family moved to Germany. I grew up, studied, and became a dentist. But Palestine never left me. I travel back twice a year, once in winter to plant, and once in summer to harvest. It is not something I think about. It is just part of who I am.
In Ramadan 2026, I was back home in Al-Majd. On a quiet afternoon I bought two olive trees. One for myself, one in the name of my best friend in Germany. When I told him, he showed it to his parents. His mother cried. That night I sent a message to my friends: who wants to plant a tree in Palestine? I gave myself 24 hours. Within 24 hours, we had the money for over 150 trees. The next day I drove around Al-Majd and the surrounding villages and distributed every single tree. That impulsive 24-hour campaign became OliveRoots.
What I do differently from every other programme is simple: I plant trees that are already alive. Trees that are 6 years old, already producing olives, ready to give a Palestinian family income within the same harvest season. I know this because I grew up watching it. I know every farmer whose land these trees stand on because some of them are my neighbours, and some of them are my family. Every tree we plant is GPS documented, photographed, and connected to a named farmer. You will know exactly where your tree stands, and exactly who tends it.
Already fruiting
Our trees are 5–6 years old and 2–3 metres tall when planted. The Rumi olive variety is already producing olives before it ever reaches the farmer's land. No waiting seven years. The first harvest comes within months of planting.
We do everything
We buy the trees from local shops around Hebron. We transport them on our trucks. We plant them together with the farmer. We photograph every single tree and register its GPS coordinates. The farmer's only job is to tend a tree that is already alive.
You see everything
Every planted tree is documented with a photo and GPS coordinates. You receive your coordinates once your tree is in the ground. For a full farm sponsorship, you receive a personalised video of the farmer, the land, and the planting day.
“They planted for us to eat. We plant for them to stay.”— Palestinian proverb
Structure and partners
OliveRoots is registered as a Social Enterprise (SIA) in Latvia, operating under EU regulation. We are not a charity — we are a social business. This means we operate with commercial discipline and full financial transparency.
Our field operations are run directly by Yahya and his team on the ground in Hebron. We buy trees from local shops around Hebron, transport them on our own trucks, and plant them together with the farmer. Our photographer documents every tree individually on planting day.
Payments are processed securely via Stripe. Every euro stays in Palestine — the trees, the trucks, the planters, and the photographer are all Palestinian.
The context
Olive trees in the West Bank supporting 100,000+ farming families.
Trees destroyed since 1967 — equivalent to USD 64M in annual losses.
For a 2-year seedling to reach full maturity. Our trees skip the waiting.