THE BASE

Base is where you will live, eat and play during your time on program! It is communal living at its finest. Some call it rustic, others call it home.

PLEASE CHECK BACK ON AUGUST 1st FOR UPDATES ON OUR BASE ACCOMMODATIONS!

ACCOMMODATIONS & FACILITIES

Accommodation:

We will be based in the centre of Marsh Harbour city. The accommodation will be in the form of Visible Goods (VGs), which are pods fitting 3 bund beds (6 beds in total) each. You can find a picture on the right side.

We provide shelter and bunk bed frames; however staff and volunteers are required to bring all other sleeping comforts they require such as pillows, bedding and a mattress/camping pad.



Sleeping Arrangements:

Both staff and volunteers will sleep in bunk beds in communal living quarters. It is critical that everyone respects the space of those around them, maintain a tidy room, and cleanup after themselves.

Volunteers and staff should expect to bring their own backpacking or camping style sleeping pad from home or an air mattress as well as a Bahamas seasonally appropriate sleeping bag or blanket.


Bathroom Facilities:

We have porta potties and a shower trailer currently set up on base. You will be expected to support keeping the shower trailers clean! In the event the shower plumbing malfunctions, expect bucket showers like a majority of the rest of the world and go with the flow!


Kitchen Facilities:

There will be space to cook breakfast (oats, eggs, bread, peanut butter, jam, fruit, coffee, tea) and prepare lunch (simple sandwich fixings like deli meat, lettuce, vegetables and cheese). You will also be able to cook your own dinner at night if you choose to purchase your own food. Base food is not available outside of normal breakfast/lunch/dinner hours except under special circumstances.

We will have plenty of dry food storage space, but please do not expect to be able to utilize a refrigerator on this program!


Laundry:

AHAH will wash your purple volunteer shirts daily. For your personal laundry, washing facilities are available on the island for a fee. You also have the option to do your own washing in a bucket. Detergent is available for purchase on island, but again, plan on paying a premium price as island expenses are high!

ELECTRICITY AND INTERNET

Electricity:

In The Bahamas, the power plugs and sockets are of type A and B. The standard voltage is 120 V and the standard frequency is 60 Hz. If necessary, please ensure you purchase a power adapter to charge your electrical items.


We will provide a reasonable number of power strips to common areas to charge devices, but do not expect power available near all bunk beds. We highly recommend bringing a power bank to charge your personal device.


Abaco still regularly experiences power outages due to high demand, and especially during periods of high wind and electrical storms. This is part of the adventure, and where a flashlight, good conversation, board games, a deck of cards, or a good book come in handy!


WiFi:

Connectivity on Abaco is still impacted by Hurricane Dorian. Our staff team often work late into the evening and requires all the bandwidth we can get. Organizationally, we can not accommodate requests for personal usage of the program network (Netflix, web-surfing, Instagramming, etc.). The Aliv Network is the most reliable service in Abaco and we recommend you purchase a local SIM/data plan once you arrive on Abaco.

Staff can provide a laptop or phone if you need to contact a family member or for special circumstances. If you regularly need a computer for personal use, however, we recommend bringing your own, buy a local SIM/data plan, and connect via hotspot.

FOOD

We provide three meals a day, six days per week. There will be no meals provided on your day off.

  • Breakfast: oats, eggs, bread, peanut butter, jam, fruit, coffee, tea

  • Lunch: simple sandwich fixings like deli meat, lettuce, vegetables, cheese and whole fruits

  • Dinner: prepared by local cooks, dinner will be a weekly rotating menu of simple meals like pastas, potatoes, veggies, rice/beans, etc.


Everyone is free to buy their own food and make their own dinner if they wish!


Vegetarian diets can be accommodated but vegans and those with specific dietary requirements will need to supplement what we can provide with items they bring or source and purchase themselves. You will be able to store shelf-stable personal food items on the shelves but do not expect any refrigerated personal space. You will be able to use kitchen burners/cooking space whenever local staff are not cooking meals for base.