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A typical day will start at around 08:45 where all volunteers will meet at the project base in Antigua, usually around 5- 10 minutes walk from your host family.
Once all volunteers have arrived you pile into a pickup truck and drive to the village you are working in! The journey can be anywhere from 10 to 40 minutes from Antigua depending on where the build is based.
A team of ‘master builders’, Joe and Oscar (and crew) are the project coordinators and you will be working alongside them throughout the project. They will oversee the build and are great fun to work with.
A sense of humour is a must! There will be plenty of banter flying around and the camaraderie is fantastic.
When you arrive at the site, materials will have been delivered and work starts. Often you will work alongside the family, who are usually very keen to help the building of their new home.
A packed lunch is made for each volunteer to keep you going through the day. Lunch breaks usually start at 12:30 until 13:30 but many volunteers choose to work through lunch. Lunch generally consists of a sandwich, drink and crisps but this varies day to day.
The first day is spent digging the footings and getting the foundations in place. Don’t worry if you don’t have any building experience, everyone is welcome - the coordinators are more than happy to show you how to mix cement or lay bricks.
Generally the day finishes at 4:00pm and you return to Antigua to have a shower and relax or head out to some of the many bars Antigua has to offer.
Over the following three days the house develops block-by-block, level-by-level, day-by-day.
Each house is built with a window, a door, a toilet and a concrete floor. It is then furnished with bunk beds and painted whatever colour the family chooses.
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